The Scoutit
by ShizukaRakugaki44
Summary: A TF2 version of The Hobbit trilogy of films which tells the story of Bobbie Billows, a Scout from Harvest who goes on a quest with thirteen Engineers led by Theron Olander to reclaim the Thunder Mountain Base from the Giant Robot Pyro.
1. Chapter 1: An Unexpected Invite

**_So because I liked doing_** **Lord of the Bombs** ** _so much, I decided I would give the same TF2 treatment to_** **The Hobbit** ** _and by that I mean the unnecessary film trilogy. Now I'm personally not a big fan of_** **The Hobbit** ** _movies, but they weren't bad either. So I'm hoping that my version will be at least somewhat less like I'm trying to cash in on something already popular and doing my own thing. Hope you enjoy!_**

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Invite

"Yo, Uncle Bobbie! Whatcha writin'?"

A middle-aged Scout looked up from the notebook he was writing in and stared at a much younger Scout that stood across from him.

"None of your business, Freddy," the middle-aged Scout Bobbie responded.

"Is it a book or something?"

"Sort of."

Then in the blink of an eye, Freddy appeared behind Bobbie and saw a title on the cover of the plain black notebook.

"'Here and There: A Scout's Story by Bobbie Billows,'" Freddy read. "So it is a book!"

"Back off!" Bobbie said shrugging Freddy away from him.

"Okay, Uncle, jeez," Freddy said looking surprised. "I was just curious."

"Curiosity got the better of me when I was your age," Bobbie warned as he hid the notebook underneath his shirt. "And it would pain me to see the same thing happen to you."

"Don't worry about that, Uncle. It's not like I'm going away anytime soon."

"And that's why you're my favorite nephew," Bobbie said as he briefly hugged Freddy. "Now, I'm expecting company soon so why don't you run along for a little while?"

"Sure thing!" Freddy said nodding. "See you at the party tonight."

"Take care!" Bobbie replied as Freddy left the shack called Billow-End, which had been Bobbie's home as far back as he could remember. Once Freddy was gone, Bobbie reached into his pocket and took out a wristwatch. He fiddled with a button on the side, which opened a small compartment underneath the watch revealing a small bomb with a light on top of it.

After staring at the bomb for some time, Bobbie retracted the compartment back into the watch which he placed in his pocket once more. Then he stared at the notebook, and then at the door. Shaking his head, Bobbie took a rolled up cigarette from a jar full of them and walked toward the door which he then opened. Outside, many Scouts were walking up and down the street past the alleyway which separated his home from the others. The sky was a crisp blue and there was a chilly wind blowing leaves from the orchard nearby. Leaning against his house, Bobbie lit the cigarette and thought back to a nice summer day in his youth when everything changed for him.

###

" _Hallo_ (Hello), Bobbie Billows!"

Bobbie looked past the smoke he blew from his mouth and saw a tall stranger approaching him. He was wearing a white coat with red gloves and a black wide-brimmed hat. On his back was a strange device that glowed red and in one hand the stranger carried a staff with a golden eagle on top of it.

"Uh, good day to you," Bobbie said, unsure of what to say.

"What do you mean?" The stranger asked. "Are you wishing me a good day or is it a good day in general?"

"I don't follow," Bobbie replied, taking another drag on his cigarette. "I was just saying, 'good day'. Nothing weird about it."

"Ah, I see. Well, you are Bobbie Billows, right?"

"Yeah, what do you want?"

The stranger looked around for a brief moment before he stepped closer. "I am looking for someone to share a Mission with."

"Mission? Of what kind?"

"That is very secret and will involve life-threatening situations."

"Then count me out," Bobbie said as he threw away his cigarette. "We Billows aren't the type to get involved in such things. You might want to try the Tykes down the road or even the Bourbons out by Pancake's orchard."

"Such a pity," the stranger said looking disappointed. "I remember when you used to hunt fireflies as a child every summer evening and chase away mice in the orchards."

It was then that Bobbie took a good look at the stranger's face. "Wait a minute, don't I know you from somewhere?"

"Yes, I visit Harvest every now and then," the stranger said as he bowed low. "My name is Gerald the Red."

"The Wandering Medic?"

"Some have called me that."

"I've heard about you before! You're the one who conjures fireworks from Bombinomicon spell-books and tends to rope Mercenaries into going on crazy Missions!"

"The former I admit, though the latter I would phrase differently."

"But you're still the same guy, right?"

"I suppose."

"Well, um, it was very nice meeting you, Mister Gerald, but I've gotta run! Lots of stuff to do!"

In a flash, Bobbie went back into his shack and hid inside one of the cupboards. He heard Gerald knock a few times, but then he stopped. Then there were scratching sounds followed by retreating footsteps. Thinking that Gerald had left, Bobbie got out of the cupboard and decided to close all the windows and lock the back door just in case.

###

Later that night, when Bobbie was about to have a light supper which consisted of pancakes with a slice of apple pie there was a sudden knock at the front door.

"Odd," Bobbie said as he finished drizzling maple syrup onto the pancakes. "I wasn't expecting anyone at this time."

As the knocks continued, Bobbie got up from his chair and walked across the room to the door. After a brief pause, he opened it. On the other side stood a man who was slightly taller than Bobbie wearing blue overalls, a red shirt underneath, black goggles that obscured his eyes, and he sported a black handlebar mustache. In one hand he carried a large wrench and in the other a red toolbox.

Bobbie eyed the man suspiciously and said, "Can I help you, Engineer?"

"The name's Daran," the man said, and pushed past Bobbie. "I was told to come here."

"By who?" Bobbie asked, closing the door behind him.

"You, sir," Daran responded. "Got anything to eat around here?"

"I was just about to have pancakes," Bobbie said. "If you want, I could make some more."

Just then, more knocks came from the door.

"What the heck?" Bobbie wondered as he opened the door once more.

This time, there was another Engineer who sported a long white beard and big nose.

"Evening, sir, the name's Brian," the second Engineer said.

"Brother!" Daran said, hugging the second Engineer as he walked in. "Haven't seen you in a long time. How are things?"

"Not too bad, Daran," Brian said. "Have the others arrived?"

"Not yet, though this Scout here says he'll be making more pancakes for us."

As the two turned to Bobbie, he closed the door again and went back to the griddle to make another batch. But as soon as he did, several knocks came from it. So reluctantly, he opened it a third time and found two Engineers that looked much younger than the first two. While one sported a short blond beard and mustache, the other had no beard but medium-length dark-brown hair peering from underneath his construction hat.

"Finley," said the Engineer with the blond beard.

"Kinley," responded the Engineer with dark-brown hair.

They both bowed their heads and walked around Bobbie. When Daran saw them, he leaped out of Bobbie's chair and he patted the two on their backs.

"Glad you could make it, boys!" Daran said proudly. "You've gotten so big!"

"Could say the same to you, Daran," Finley said poking Daran in the gut.

Annoyed, Bobbie closed the door once more and started making pancakes for everyone. In the meantime, the Engineers divided Bobbie's pancakes between the four of them. Then just as the next batch was finished, more knocks resounded from the door.

"Aw, jeez," Bobbie said as he stomped toward the door. "This cannot be happening to me."

This time, there were five Engineers standing outside: the first had frizzy white hair, the second had a light brown hair with pointy edges, the third a chestnut brown ponytail and sideburns, the fourth a long grey beard with small braids, and the fifth had an auburn red beard that went down all the way to his chin. Their names were Dylan, Neylan, Olan, Oage, and Gage respectfully and like the previous four they walked past Bobbie after introducing themselves to join the other Engineers. So once again, Bobbie set himself to making more pancakes as well as drinks for the new guests which forced him to visit the pantry once or twice. Then just when Bobbie was starting to consider kicking them out, there were several more knocks coming from the door.

"You'd better answer that, sir," said Kinley.

"I know," Bobbie replied irritably.

When he opened the door, several Engineers came tumbling down and landed on top of each other. Then behind them appeared Gerald.

"Gerald," Bobbie said with surprise. "What're you doing here?"

"Bringing more guests to the party," Gerald said and pointed to each of the Engineers who were getting up from the floor. "The one with the light grey beard is Baize, then that one with the dark brown mustache is Blaze, and the fat one with the ginger mustache is Braze."

"Hey, I've lost a few pounds since we last met," cried Braze in protest.

"Yeah, that's what he says to everybody," Blaze said chuckling.

As he turned, Braze used his stomach to push Blaze forward which almost knocked him off his feet until Baize caught him.

"Better watch your step, boy," Baize said to Blaze and then he glared at Braze. "And you'd better behave yourself in front of Gerald, or he'll smite you!"

Nervously, Braze left Gerald's side and joined the other Engineers.

"There was no need to threaten him like that, Baize," Gerald said. "I never smite anyone."

"Hey, Gerald!" Dylan said holding a coffeepot in his hand. "You should try the coffee! It's simply divine!"

"Sure thing, Dylan," Gerald said and made his way over to Dylan. As he did, he counted each of the Engineers while muttering their names under his breath. "It seems we are missing one."

"He'll be here," Brian said, sipping coffee from a mug he took from one of the cupboards. "I just know it."

Satisfied, Gerald took the cup Dylan offered him when he noticed Bobbie looking flustered.

"Is something wrong, Bobbie?" Gerald asked.

"Can I talk to you outside for a moment?" Bobbie said nodding toward the door.

"Of course," Gerald nodded.

The two stepped outside while the Engineers made use of the griddle to make more pancakes.

"What the hell's going on?" Bobbie shouted once the door was closed. "These Engineers show up uninvited to _my_ house and act like I invited them there!"

"But you did," Gerald said, pointing to a sign carved along the frame of Bobbie's door that said, 'All Pardners Welcome!'.

"Those scratching sounds…" Bobbie realized. "You set me up!"

"What? No!"

"Yeah, you did! Otherwise, these Engineers would not be here."

"They need you, Bobbie, so I had to tell them where you lived."

"Need me? For what?"

"You'll understand once _he_ shows up."

"Who's 'he'?"

Instead of answering, Gerald led Bobbie back into the shack where the Engineers had pulled out several chairs and wooden planks to make a large table where there were mounds of pancakes and other foods which had no doubt been taken from the pantry.

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2: Thunder Mountains

Chapter 2: Thunder Mountains

It wasn't long before yet another knock came from the door. All the Engineers who were busy cleaning the dishes up suddenly became silent.

"He's here," Gerald said, and walked to the door himself.

Everyone watched as he cautiously looked through the lock and then opened it. There was one Engineer this time, with a black beard and mustache. There were black dragon-shaped tattoos on both of his arms and he wore beige leather chaps on his legs.

"Gerald," the Engineer said with a grainy voice. "Nice to see you again, old-timer. Now where's this Scout you've been talking about?"

"Right over here," Gerald said indicating Bobbie to come over.

Reluctantly, Bobbie did and stood right across from the forlorn Engineer who had specks of white in his black hair.

"Bobbie Billows, this is Theron Olander," Gerald said waving his hand to the Engineer. "The leader of the party you'll be joining."

"Joining?" Bobbie was confused.

Theron sighed irritably. "Didn't Gerald tell you anything?"

"I thought it would be best to wait until everyone was here," Gerald explained.

Looking at the other Engineers, who were all standing at attention, Theron nodded. "Fine. Let's give our host the cliff-notes of the Mission."

"Wait, I'm still lost," Bobbie protested as Theron made his way to the table.

"You'll understand soon enough," Gerald assured as he took a map out of his coat pocket and spread it across the table.

The most primary feature Bobbie noticed was a low mountain with several buildings clustered near the top. Then from the mountain a river flowed downward towards an equally large settlement. From there, the river continued southward beside a desolate area. Next to it, Bobbie saw a tall figure which resembled a Pyro only much bigger. Then beside the Pyro there were several numbers written down.

"What do those numbers mean?" Bobbie said pointing to them.

"It's numeric code, which the Engineers used frequently back in the Machine Wars," Gerald said. "They say, 'three feet high the tunnel and five men across.'"

"Which means what?"

"The secret tunnel that leads into Thunder Mountain is three feet high and the width of five men, which doesn't really matter since Pyro can't fit through that," Gerald explained.

"Pyro? As in the Class?"

"No," Gerald shook his head. "I am referring to a Giant Robot Pyro."

"Giant…Robot…Pyro," Bobbie stuttered. "Aren't all the Robots extinct, though?"

"Not all of them," Gerald said, lighting a cigarette. "There are a few who have survived, but either they've rusted and fallen apart or are in hiding which is the case for this Robot Pyro. A long time ago, Theron's grandfather Thorsen was a great Engineer who had managed to revitalize the Thunder Mountain Base into a thriving factory where all kinds of materials were mined and crafted into various items. Dispensers, Sentries, Teleporters, you name it. Once these items were made, they were transported down the river to Swiftwater, a bustling community of Mercenaries from all over America who traded with the Engineers of Thunder Mountain in exchange for money and other valuables including Australium Gold. To commemorate his wealth, Thorsen had his best Engineers craft a small golden statue in the shape of Saxton Hale, his main benefactor, which became known as the Saxxystone. After that, Thorsen demanded more money from those who traded with him and developed a condition known as 'Merc's Weakness' which is when a Mercenary becomes so greedy that they—

"I think the string-bean gets it," Theron interrupted.

Gerald cleared his throat and continued, "Then one day, the Engineers uncovered a Giant Robot in the shape of a Pyro that had been deactivated. Using Australium Gold as a power source, Thorsen and the other Engineers reactivated it in an attempt to control the Pyro for their own uses. However, its power proved too great and it destroyed Swiftwater along with most of Thunder Mountain. The Engineers were forced to flee without receiving any help from Saxton Hale or even the Badlands Snipers. Meanwhile, the Pyro decided to take up residence in Thunder Mountain and has been guarding the Australium Gold that keeps it alive ever since."

Bobbie paused for a moment to take everything in and then he asked. "So what happened to Thorsen? Didn't he try to reclaim Thunder Mountain?"

All eyes turned to Theron, who looked grim. "He did not. Too many of us were scattered and powerless to take on the Giant Robot ourselves. Instead, my grandpappy reclaimed Double Cross which was overrun with Robots that had taken refuge there. Their leader was a powerful Robot Soldier known as Alclad the Destroyer. Though my grandpappy still had a lot of fightin' spirit, he was no match for Alclad and died on the battlefield. Then my pop went up and left, so I took it upon my hands to slay that damn bucket o' bolts which I did with just a wrench. But now, I want to reclaim what is rightfully mine and everyone else's in this room."

Hearing that, the Engineers let out a loud 'Yippie!'.

"And that's where you and Gerald come in," Theron said staring at Bobbie and Gerald. "With a Medic and a Scout on our side, we'll reclaim Thunder Mountain for sure."

"How?" Bobbie asked anxiously. "What can I do against a Giant Robot?"

"You can slip past it with your speed, string-bean," Blaze said. "That's what Scouts are good at, right? Or have they grown slow since things have been peaceful lately?"

Bobbie was about to say something when Gerald said, "Speaking of which, your father gave me this before he died."

From a hidden pocket, Gerald pulled out a golden key which he gave to Theron. For a few moments, Theron examined it and then he looked at the map.

"This must be the key to the tunnel that's referred to on this map," Theron observed. "Maybe my grandpappy wanted us to reclaim the mountain, after all."

"Well, I'm not going," Bobbie said firmly. "Your plan is suicide, man, and I may be a Scout but not a stupid one!"

Then Bobbie stormed out of the living-room and into his bedroom. He was about to lock it when Gerald followed in.

"Bobbie, I beg you to reconsider," Gerald said pleadingly.

"No, Gerald," Bobbie responded. "You dragged me into this on purpose, and I'm not sure why."

" _Mein Gott_ (My God), Bobbie," Gerald said shaking his head. "You have changed. Where's that sense of adventure from when you were younger?"

"It left as soon as I realized a Billows does not leave his home, and never has," Bobbie said.

"But there is Tyke blood in you as well," Gerald pointed out. "Your great-grandfather was the fastest Scout who ever lived in Harvest. He fought many battles and brought back the ancient sport of baseball, which is still played to this day."

As Bobbie sighed, he looked at an old photograph of his great-grandfather who was smiling as he held a baseball bat in his hand.

"I'm not him, though," Bobbie said and looked to Gerald. "And I won't leave unless there's a chance I'll return."

"I cannot guarantee that," Gerald replied after a pause. "Though what I can say is you certainly will not be the same."

Disappointed, Bobbie looked downward as Gerald left his room. Outside, Gerald told the Engineers that Bobbie wouldn't be joining their Mission. While some sighed, others didn't. Then after some time had passed, the Engineers started humming a tune that put everyone in a dour mood including Bobbie. This continued on for the rest of the night until Bobbie finally got tired and fell asleep.

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3: Granary

Chapter 3: Granary

The next morning, Bobbie woke up and found the place completely devoid of the Engineers and Gerald. Feeling relieved, Bobbie wandered around the empty but surprisingly clean living-room when he noticed a folded piece of paper on the table. Curious, Bobbie unfolded the paper and found it to be a contract of sorts with several signatures at the bottom. Then next to this contract was a note written in cursive handwriting.

 _Dear Bobbie Billows of the Scout Class,_

 _We of Theron's company of Engineers are humbly grateful for your hospitality and would graciously accept your services. If we succeed in reclaiming the mountain, you will receive one-fourteenth of the total profit. Travel expenses will be paid for and in the event that you should meet an early death then your share of the profit will be transferred to your next of kin by us or our representatives. If you are interested in joining our Mission, then meet us near the Byre Base at 11:00 AM. Don't be a moment too late._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Theron & Co._

Looking at a nearby clock, Bobbie noticed it was 10:30 AM currently.

"Aw, jeez," Bobbie muttered. "I cannot believe this!"

After signing the contract, Bobbie quickly got together some essential items which included a change of clothes, an extra pair of shoes, a couple of Bonk! Sodas, his grandfather's Baseball Bat, and a gray-colored cap.

"All right, feet, don't fail me now," Bobbie muttered and ran out the door without locking it.

###

"Well, it's almost 11," Theron said looking at the sun over Byre. Then he turned to Gerald. "I don't think the string-bean is going to show."

"You have little faith in him, Theron," Gerald insisted. "Once he feels obligated to do something, he will do it."

While the other Engineers were resting in the shade of an old barn, Theron looked at them and shrugged. "Even if he does show up, I'm not responsible for his fate."

Then just as Theron signaled the other Engineers to get up, a cloud of dust suddenly enveloped them. They were so surprised by it that some of them stumbled and tripped over themselves. When it settled, Bobbie stood in front of Theron panting heavily.

"Bobbie," Gerald said. "What a pleasant surprise!"

"How in Sam Hill did you get here so quickly?" Theron demanded.

"I ran, dummy," Bobbie said once he caught his breath. Then he reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out the contract.

Nervously, Theron took the contract from Bobbie's hand and looked at it. Then he took off his goggles and stared at the contract intensely.

"Looks legit," Theron said putting his goggles back on. Next, he put the contract in his overall pocket and held out his hand. "Welcome to our company, Bobbie Billows of the Scout Class."

Reluctantly, Bobbie shook Theron's hand while the other Engineers looked pleased. Even Gerald was smiling, and then after that the company got their things together and left Byre Base.

###

For days, the company traveled on foot across the Farmland Area with the mountains always lingering in the distance. Because Bobbie was used to moving fast, he found the slow pace of the Engineers a little bit irritating. Also, he had forgotten his headset which would've been useful for communicating with the Engineers during their eventual sneaking in through the hidden tunnel that was described on the map.

"It wouldn't have worked, anyway," Gerald assured Bobbie while they were trudging through the pouring rain. "Things like that haven't been used since the Machine Wars."

"But couldn't you have just fixed it with your magic or something?" Bobbie suggested.

"I suppose, but even then this weather would've shortened its battery life for sure."

Disappointed, Bobbie didn't say anything for a long time. Then as the rain started to lessen, Bobbie asked, "Are there other Medics out there?"

"As far as I know there are currently three, including myself." Gerald said. "We were all pupils of Merasmus the Black, an evil Wizard from the Days of RED and BLU who reformed himself and taught us Medics how to use magic when technology degraded significantly after the Machine Wars. There is…a Blue Medic, whose name I can't remember at the moment, and Rüdiger the Mad."

"Mad? So he's crazy?"

"Sort of. He had an accident a long time ago that resulted in half of his face being disfigured, and afterwards Rüdiger developed a second personality who wants to kill everyone. Otherwise, he's mostly harmless."

"Nevertheless, I hope we don't have to meet him," Theron said behind Bobbie.

###

Eventually, the company decided to rest inside one of the buildings at Granary which gave them shelter from the rain. By the time it ceased, the sun was low over the horizon.

"We should probably rest here for the night," Theron said.

Gerald looked toward the mountains and said, "If we continue further, we'll reach Frontier by dusk and from there—

"Mountain Lab," Brian interceded.

" _That's_ where you want to take us?" Theron said angrily. "I'd rather die than go near those spineless squatters!"

Taken aback, Gerald responded, " _Dummkopf_ (Idiot)! You cannot let the past affect the present! Saxton Hale is a good man and would be more than willing to help you on your Mission if you just gave him a chance."

"Then why didn't he do anything to help my grandpappy fight the Giant Robot?"

"That was out of his hands. Jarrah, the leader of the Badlands Snipers, refused to endanger his people in trying to stop the Giant Robot and Saxton Hale sent a band of Snipers to aid your grandfather but by the time they arrived it was too late."

"Well, he should've done better than that, Doc!"

"Schweinhunds (Pig hounds)! You are trying my patience!"

With that final straw, Gerald left the building and disappeared around one of the crates.

"What the hell was that crap?" Bobbie protested. "Without a Medic, we're screwed out here!"

"We'll be fine, string-bean," Blaze said confidently. "There's nothing around these parts, anyway, right, Brian?"

"No," Brian said shaking his head. "Though I've heard some of those Bird-Headed folks have been seen coming down from the mountains lately."

"Odd," Oage said scratching the side of his head. "Wonder if that might have something to do with the incident at Double Cross."

"Maybe," Daran said in agreement. "I remember the Cyborgs (Engineers with robotic cosmetics) up there had Bird-Headed folks imported to be used as slaves, and then after we took Double Cross back I don't know what happened to them."

As they spoke, a low hooting noise followed which made the Engineers nervous.

###

While the rest of the Engineers slept, Finley and Kinley were assigned to keep watch. At first, Bobbie thought he was going to have a pleasant sleep but Theron told him to take over Finley and Kinley's post later in the night. So Bobbie tried to keep himself from completely falling asleep by thinking about the Satchel-Billows and how they might take advantage of him not being home to claim Billow-End as their own. His thoughts were interrupted by flapping noises, which woke him up. He looked around, saw nothing, and was about to go back to bed when a tall shadow appeared in the doorway of the building entrance. Frightened, Bobbie bolted behind one of the crates and stood perfectly still. There were footsteps that followed, along with voices.

"Hoot! There's a lot of tasty morsels in here, mates," said the tall man who was revealed to have an owl head.

"Tweet!" responded a larger man who appeared alongside the owl-headed one. Unlike him, though, the larger man's head was shaped like a robin's. "Bird Heavy was getting tired of eating grains from tin boxes."

"Brark! Keep your voices down, maggots," a third man squawked, who had an eagle-shaped head. "We don't want to wake them."

Some of the Engineers stirred, but didn't get up. Once they were still again, the Bird-Headed men quickly snatched the Engineers up and stuffed them into burlap sacks. The only one who struggled the most was Theron, but he too was placed into a sack. Satisfied, the Bird-Headed men left the building with their prisoners in tow while Bobbie followed quietly behind.

Inside a tunnel near a Control Point, the Bird-Headed men placed the wriggling sacks next to two others that were next to a stack of crates piled up at one end.

 _Those must be Finley and Kinley_ , Bobbie thought to himself.

"Hoot! Should we cook them, Feathers?" The owl-headed man asked the eagle-headed one. "Or just eat them raw?"

"Cooking takes too long, Shootsalot," the eagle-headed man said. "Let's just skin them alive and remove their bones, Brark!"

"Good idea, Tweet!" the robin-headed man agreed. "But can we also crush them into teeny-weeny bits?"

"No, Kiev," Feathers said firmly. "It would tenderize the meat too much, Brark!"

"Then we might as well cook 'em," Shootsalot said. "That way, their bones will be removed and it'll crush them into smaller bits for Kiev to eat. What do you think of that, Hoot!"

"I am _not_ a compromising bird!" Feathers objected. "We either do things _my_ way or no way at all, Brark!"

It was then that Bobbie noticed Shootsalot had a Kukri Knife attached to his side. Cautiously, Bobbie picked up some dirt and threw it into the tunnel opening. The three Bird-Headed men were startled by this and immediately walked out to see where the dirt came from. Quickly, Bobbie ran past them into the tunnel and hid behind a crate near the tunnel's entrance.

"Can you see anything, Tweet?" Kiev asked Shootsalot.

"Nothing, Hoot!" Shootsalot replied. "Maybe it was just the wind."

The three Bird-Headed men walked back into the tunnel. Immediately, Bobbie made a beeline for Shootsalot's Kukri Knife. But as soon as he grabbed it, Shootsalot's head turned all the way back and Bobbie found himself staring at a pair of bright yellow eyes.

"Hoot!" Shootsalot cried. "We have an intruder!"

Feathers and Kiev immediately turned around as Bobbie let go of the Kukri Knife.

"He is so tiny, Tweet!" Kiev remarked. "Bird Heavy could eat all of him!"

"Uh, I wouldn't," Bobbie said nervously.

"Why not, Brark?" Feathers asked.

"I'm not very, uh, meat heavy," Bobbie said.

"Then we'll eat you after we're done eating the others," Shootsalot said and pinned Bobbie against the wall with his Kukri Knife in hand. "Now hold still, Hoot!"

Kiev nodded and picked up the sacks while Feathers said, "Wait a minute, Brark! We still haven't decided how we're going to eat them!"

"I can help with that."

Startled, the Bird-Headed men looked to the tunnel entrance and saw a man standing there with a dove-shaped head. He wore glasses and a Medic's uniform, which Bobbie thought was odd.

"Who are you, Brark?" Feathers demanded.

"I am Medimedes," the dove-headed man explained. "I am zhe angry bird god of zhe Badlands! Fear me!"

Hearing that, the other Bird-Headed men laughed.

"You don't scare Bird Heavy," Kiev said and held his clenched hands up. "Now put up fists!"

Instead, the Bird-Headed man called Medimedes held up a staff and said, " _Imputum fulmenus!_ "

From the staff, a bolt of lightning flashed forth and electrocuted the three Bird-Headed men. Then while they were stunned, Medimedes said, " _Invokum monoculus!_ " which summoned a large eyeball with a red iris that stared at the three Bird-Headed men intensely. In a matter of seconds, the three Bird-Headed men were turned to stone as the sun rose behind Medimedes.

"Frickin' unbelievable!" Bobbie said, breathlessly. "How did you do that—

When Bobbie turned to face Medimedes, his bird head was gone and in its place was Gerald's.

"Gerald!" Bobbie exclaimed. "Where did you come from?"

"I disguised myself as Medimedes in order to fool the Bird-Headed people," Gerald said. "And I'm glad you were able to keep them busy long enough for me to step in."

"Yeah, but what happened after you left?" Bobbie asked. "And why did you come back?"

"All shall be revealed soon," Gerald said cryptically. "In the meantime, let us free Theron and the others."

"Gotcha!" Bobbie nodded and zipped around untying the sacks.

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4: Rüdiger the Mad

Chapter 4: Rüdiger the Mad

" _Kamerads_ (Comrades)," Gerald said to the Engineers once they were out of Granary. "During my brief absence, I ran into an old friend that I would like you to meet."

The company then entered an old barn that was several feet from the Base, and it was there that they found a Medic who looked very similar to Gerald except that one half of his face was gray and corpse-like while the other looked completely normal with several stitches separating the two halves. While the Engineers and Bobbie stood in the doorway cautiously, Gerald stepped forward and stood next to the odd-looking Medic.

"Rüdiger," Gerald said and waved his hand toward Bobbie and the Engineers. "These are the travel companions I was telling you about."

"Ah," the odd-looking Medic nodded. Then he said in a suddenly menacing voice. " **Kill zhem all**. No, not yet!"

Nervously, the Engineers took wrenches out of their trousers. Seeing them, Gerald stepped between them and the Medic called Rüdiger.

"Do not worry," Gerald said calmly. "Rüdiger may be mad, but he's here to help us."

"How?" Bobbie asked.

"There is a group of Robots heading in this direction," Rüdiger said. " **Do not tell zhem that**. Be quiet! **I vill not!** They are looking for someone named Theron Olander. **Forget I said anything.** Shut up!"

"What did these Robots look like?" Theron said stepping forward.

"Well, they — **Don't tell zhem**. You're making this more difficult than it has to be. **That's my job!** Whatever, they're a small band of Robot Scouts led by a Robot Soldier who's face is cracked **just like mine!** "

"Cracked? Like he had been hit with a wrench or something?"

" **Precisely!** " a menacing chuckle escaped Rüdiger's mouth which he then covered up.

Meanwhile, Theron looked both surprised and angered.

Brian gave Theron a concerned frown. "You don't think it's—

"It can't be him!" Theron snapped.

"Who is he talking about?" Bobbie wondered.

"Alclad the Destroyer," Daran said bluntly.

"You'd better not be lyin' to me, Doc!" Theron said storming up to Rüdiger. "Did any of the Robots refer to the Soldier Robot by name?"

"Well, not really," Rüdiger said. " **You lie!** I do not! **They said, 'Alclad' over and over again!** That is not true! **Yes, it is!** "

"Tell me the truth!" Theron reached for his wrench but Gerald stopped him.

"You will _not_ harm Rüdiger in my presence," Gerald said gripping Theron's shoulder firmly.

"Then he'd better start making sense," Theron responded bitterly.

Gerald was about to say something when they heard metal clanking noises that sounded far away but were gradually getting closer.

"It's them!" Rüdiger said anxiously. " **We do not want to die!** "

"Then we must leave at once," Gerald said. "We'll go one way and you the other."

Rüdiger looked confused. "Why?"

"To lead them astray, of course."

###

So reluctantly, Rüdiger left the barn first and moved around to the back. In the distance, there were several Robots that resembled Scouts approaching the field. Once they were close enough to see him, Rüdiger ran toward Granary at an incredibly fast speed. The Robot Scouts immediately followed him, while Gerald and the others left the barn in the opposite direction. Then just as they were getting close to the end of the field, a single Robot Scout stood in their path. It carried a bat with metal spikes in its hand and stared at the company with electric blue lights for eyes.

" _Take one more step and I'll bash your brains in, punk!_ " the Robot Scout said, waving its metal bat threateningly.

"Oh, yeah, well take this!" Neylan said taking a Pistol out of an overalls pocket.

He fired it at the Robot Scout's arm which caused it to let go of its bat. Angered, the Robot Scout charged at Neylan forcing him to shoot the Pistol again. This time, the bullet lodged in the Robot Scout's head which made it fall at Neylan's feet.

"Nice shootin', Tex!" Finley said slapping Neylan on the back.

Several bullets suddenly flew past as several more Robot Scouts came running with Scatterguns in their hands.

"There's too many of them!" Dylan shouted. "We'll have to make a run for the hills!"

"Follow my lead!" Gerald said and ran toward the end of the field.

With the Robot Scouts on their tails, the company ran off the field and into a wide open plain that stretched as far as the mountains. Here, there was very little cover so the Engineers kept running despite the constant gunfire. Unfortunately, the Robot Scouts were faster and they soon had Gerald and the others surrounded. Undeterred, Neylan fired his Pistol at the Robot Scouts who all went down after being shot in the head once. Then from there, the company made their way to Frontier and followed the old Payload rails up into the mountains. Near the top, they came onto a relatively flat area surrounded by various buildings with a mining conveyor belt hanging high overhead.

"We made it," Gerald said firmly. "Is everyone accounted for?"

The Engineers raised their hands reluctantly while Bobbie was transfixed by the place.

"Is this Mountain Lab?" Bobbie said as he looked around.

"It is, mates."

Surprised, the company turned around and saw a Sniper sitting on a tree branch pointing a Sniper Rifle at them.

"Ah, _Hallo_ ," Gerald said while the Engineers and Bobbie stood frozen in place. "We're here to see Saxton Hale."

"What business do you have with him?" the Sniper asked not putting the Sniper Rifle down.

"I am Gerald the Red, and this is Theron Olander," Gerald said waving his hand toward Theron who glared up at the Sniper. "He has come to seek Saxton Hale's aid in reclaiming Thunder Mountain for his people who are all the Engineers that stand before you."

"Including the Scout?" the Sniper said looking down at Bobbie.

"I'm working for Theron's company under contract," Bobbie answered stiffly.

At first, the Sniper lowered his rifle but then he pointed it at Gerald. "Why are you interfering in the affairs of Engineers, Medic?"

"That's enough, Sniper, he's an old friend of mine."

Surprised, the Sniper stood on the tree branch with his rifle poised beside him. Gerald and the others turned around and saw a large muscular man with no shirt standing there. He did wear a cowboy hat, a pair of jean shorts, and brown boots. His brown eyes were fierce and he sported a bushy mustache that covered the upper half of his mouth.

"Saxton Hale," Gerald said gladly. "So good to see you."

"Same here," the man called Saxton replied. "I heard there were Robots spotted near Granary and they were apparently pursuing Rüdiger the Mad."

"Did they catch him?" Gerald asked.

"No, they have not," said a looming figure who suddenly appeared behind Saxton. He wore a long black robe and a scarf that covered half of his face. In his hands he carried a staff with a ram skull on top that matched his similarly shaped helmet. "Rüdiger transported straight to my home at Hightower and said I had to come here to meet you."

"Merasmus the Black," Gerald said bowing low. "Your presence is certainly welcoming in this time of growing darkness."

"I beg to differ," the looming figure responded. "Now come with me and Saxton. The Administrator does _not_ like to be kept waiting."

Gerald's eyes widened and then he straightened his glasses. "Very well."

As Gerald left, Saxton signaled to the Sniper to come down. Then he looked down at Theron and said, "Flynn will escort you to your quarters with food and drink provided."

While the other Engineers looked relieved, Theron glared at the Sniper called Flynn the whole time as he led the thirteen of them including Bobbie down the dirt path that ran through Mountain Lab.

To be continued…


	5. Chapter 5: The Black Council

Chapter 5: The Black Council

Inside the Control Room of the RED Base, there were four figures seated around a square wooden table: one was Gerald, who seemed perfectly calm, then there was Saxton, who had his massive arms folded, Merasmus who didn't bother sitting down, and a woman with dark hair wearing a purple dress that went down to her knees. She was smoking a cigarette which caused the men to wrinkle their noses but they dared to not say anything about it.

"So I gather you all know why you're here," Gerald began.

"Not really," the woman said bluntly. "All Rüdiger told me is that I needed to come, and so I did. Now would you kindly explain your reason for bringing us together, Gerald?"

"As you wish, Administrator," Gerald nodded politely. "According to Rüdiger, Freaks (TF2 Monsters) have been spotted in the Badlands area and they're all controlled by someone called the Mastermind. Then after Rüdiger told me this, we were attacked by a Robot prototype that looked strangely human in appearance."

Saxton blinked. "What do you mean?"

"It had flesh instead of metal, or the closest artificial equivalent. Fortunately, its movement was limited so I had no problem defeating the Robot." Then from underneath his pocket Gerald produced a broken metal shovel and tossed it onto the table. "However, this puzzled me."

"Looks like an ordinary Soldier's Shovel to me," Saxton said.

"Not quite," the Administrator said pointing to the handle. "See the letter on there? It says, 'D' which I believe stands for 'Doe' who was the BLU Soldier that the RED Demoman DeGroot befriended during the Days of RED and BLU."

"Blimey! How did you guess that?" Saxton said with surprise.

"I was the one who manipulated them into killing each other," the Administrator said casually.

"Ah, I remember now that you mention it," Saxton responded as he stroked his mustache. "But how did a Robot get ahold of a Shovel belonging to a Soldier who's been dead for centuries?"

"Perhaps this 'Mastermind' has been doing some grave-robbing in his spare time," Merasmus suggested.

"This isn't something to joke about, Merasmus," Gerald said firmly. "If the Mastermind manages to take control of the Badlands Area, there's no telling what he'll do next."

"And you're going to take a mad doctor's word for it?" Merasmus said sarcastically. "For Halloween's sake, Gerald, you've grown more worrisome with age. We live in a time of peace now, which has been hard-fought and well-earned."

"No thanks to you, Wizard," Saxton muttered, causing Merasmus to glare at him.

"If it hadn't been for me, you would all be living in the Dark Ages," Merasmus said gripping his staff tightly. Then he relaxed his grip and said to Gerald, "Now what's this I hear about a Mission to Thunder Mountain?"

Gerald cleared his throat and said, "Theron Olander, whom you may know as the grandson of Thorsen who was the self-proclaimed Chief of Thunder Mountain, wishes to reclaim his former homeland. So I've decided to aid him in accomplishing this."

"You mean persuaded him," Merasmus corrected. "There is a very small chance that they'll survive given what stands in their path."

"If you're referring to the Giant Robot, they can handle it," Gerald insisted. "Among their company is a Scout whom I believe will be the key to their success in reclaiming Thunder Mountain from Pyro."

Merasmus chuckled. "You can't be serious! A mere Scout and thirteen Engineers who don't even know how to make Sentries against a Giant Robot? You're sending them on a suicide mission, Gerald."

"Even so, we can't let a Giant Robot still roam the Earth should 'he' arise once again."

"There's no way 'he' will come back. I commune with the dead quite often, and his spirit has not appeared in my vision. Now if you'll excuse me, I have 'better' things to do."

Then with that, Merasmus vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Well, this was a waste of time," the Administrator said putting out her cigarette. "Why must you trouble us with these pointless endeavors, Gerald?"

"I'm afraid we've grown too complacent," Gerald responded. "There may be peace now, but who knows how long it will last."

"And you think this 'Mastermind' and the Giant Robot are signs of things to come?" The Administrator took another cigarette out of her dress pocket and lit it.

"Not signs, _fräulein_ (miss), but potential threats that need to be dealt with now instead of later."

"Do what you must," replied the Administrator as she got up. "I wish to have no part in your schemes, Gerald, unless you're willing to give me a share of the profits that Theron has undoubtedly promised."

"We'll see, _fräulein_."

After blowing a smoke ring, the Administrator left the room.

###

At a Control Point which was located inside an open barn, Bobbie and the Engineers were dining on a feast of ham and apples with jars of Jarate.

"You know what would go really well with this ham?" Braze said between bites.

"What?" Blaze asked.

"Corn cakes!" Braze said laughing. Unfortunately, he accidentally choked on his meat while doing so.

"Aw, not again," Baize sighed as he got up from his chair and helped Braze cough up the piece of meat that got stuck in his throat.

"A nice cold beer would be good too," Neylan said swirling his jar of Jarate with a sick look on his face. "I don't care much for Jarate. They taste like piss."

"That's because they are," Gerald said stepping into the barn.

Hearing that, the Engineers that were drinking Jarate immediately spit the liquid out while Neylan tossed his away and went outside the barn. A few seconds later, there were barfing noises which caused some of the Engineers to join Neylan while the rest stayed.

"Care to explain why you didn't come with us," Theron said tossing an apple up and down.

"There was an important meeting I had to attend to," Gerald answered. "But now that I'm done with it, let us discuss the next stage of our Mission."

Theron raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"It seems your grandfather left another message on this very map," Saxton said, holding up the map Gerald showed to the Engineers earlier. "Care to have a look, Theron?"

Curious, Theron got up and took the map from Saxton's beefy hand. At first, Theron saw nothing. Then, Saxton pressed a button and the Control Point suddenly lit up causing the Engineers to jump out of their chairs. Now on the map there was not only the numeric code Gerald translated earlier, but also a new set of numbers above a line of rocks representing the Badlands Area.

To be continued…


	6. Chapter 6: Invisible Numbers

Chapter 6: Invisible Numbers

"How come I didn't see these before?" Theron exclaimed.

"They are Invisible Numbers," Gerald said. "Written in a special kind of pen that can only be revealed under a certain type of light."

"Like this?" Bobbie said pointing down at the Control Point.

"Exactly," Gerald nodded.

"So what does it say?" Theron asked, turning the map around. "I understand Numeric Code pretty well, but I can't make out a word of this."

"That's because it's written in Aborigines, which the Snipers in the Badlands know quite fluently," Saxton explained. "Fortunately, I know enough Aborigines to translate the message for you."

So reluctantly, Theron gave Saxton the map who spread it onto the table and said, "It says, 'Stand by the water-tower where the Compatriot will land and wait for the last light of Dell's Day to shine upon the hidden door.'"

"Dell's Day?" Bobbie looked to the Engineers who seemed grim. "What's that?"

Brian cleared his throat. "It was a holiday Thorsen made up to commemorate the Engineer we're all cloned from, which falls on a day when the sun and moon are in the sky at the same time."

"And there's no way of telling when that'll happen," Thorsen said folding his arms. Then he glared at Saxton. "Unless one of yer Snipers is an astronomer or somethin'."

"We do have a telescope here in Mountain Lab," Saxton said assuredly. "I can probably get someone to calculate the approximate date of Dell's Day if you like."

"Fine, but make it quick," Theron responded as he left the table. "We don't plan to stay here for too long, anyway."

"Before you go, Theron, you might want this back," Gerald said holding up a wrench that had a sharp head and a barbed handle.

"Blimey!" Saxton exclaimed looking at the wrench. "Where did you get that?"

"From a nest belonging to three Bird-Headed men that had taken up residence in Granary," Gerald said plainly.

Saxton's eyes widened. "Did you encounter them?"

"They captured all of us and were planning to eat us," Finley said.

"But then Bobbie here distracted them long enough for Gerald to show up and smite 'em!" Kinley finished.

"I merely turned the Bird-Headed men to stone," Gerald clarified. "Then we found their nest which held several items that we decided to take for our own interests."

Laying the wrench down on the table, Gerald took out a saw with a white cross on it and a short sword with runes carved into it.

"Quite the collection of Melee Weapons you got there," Saxton remarked. "Those Bird-Headed men must've raided the fallen at Double Cross and took these weapons with them when they escaped. I recognize the saw, also known as the Amputator, since it was last seen in the hands of Marcellus the Blue."

Gerald's grip on the saw tightened. "So that's why I haven't heard from him in a long time."

"As for the wrench, it's officially called the—

"Southern Hospitality," Theron interrupted as he took the wrench from the table. "My grandpappy wielded such a weapon before he died."

"Then that wrench is rightfully yours," Saxton said and turned his attention to the sword. "Now the sword is a little baffling. It's too short to be a Demoman's, but definitely not a Spy's Knife."

"Maybe a Scout wielded it," Bobbie suggested causing everyone's heads to turn to him. "I mean, it's about the same length as a bat."

To test this, Bobbie picked up the bat he brought with him from Harvest and put it next to the sword. They matched each other in length perfectly, which surprised everyone including Theron.

"Perhaps the Scout is onto something here," Saxton observed. "Though I don't recall any Scouts being hired by the Engineers at Double Cross, so the more likely explanation is that this sword belonged to a Scout from the Days of RED and BLU which happened to be at Double Cross when the Cyborgs and Bird-Headed men attacked."

"Does this sword have a name?" Bobbie asked as he picked it up.

"I believe its kind was referred to as a Three-Rune Blade," Saxton replied.

"Sweet!" Bobbie said tucking the sword into his backpack along with the bat.

###

The next morning Gerald, Bobbie, Theron, and the other Engineers made preparations to leave Mountain Lab. Saxton had found a Sniper who knew enough astronomy to predict when Dell's Day would come, and it happened to fall on the last day of summer which was a month from now. So with their provisions fully stocked, Saxton gave the Engineers the option of a van escort with an accompanying driver to get them to Thunder Mountain quicker.

"We appreciate the offer, but I'd rather risk going through Coldfront than be in a rolling tin can with possibly more Robots out there," Theron said firmly.

"But we defeated the ones that were pursuing us," Neylan said.

"True, though the ones who followed Rüdiger are probably retracing their steps as we speak and there's the Robot Soldier who's most likely leading them that we haven't encountered yet."

Neylan made an audible gulp and said nothing further.

"Yet we'd have more protection inside a van as opposed to running several miles across an open valley," Bobbie intervened.

"We're not going into the valley, string-bean," Brian said. "We'll taking the mountain route to 5Gorge which will lead us to Coldfront through a cave."

"I've heard of such a cave as well," Saxton said cutting in. "Though there are rumors of Cyborgs being spotted around those parts."

"Then the boys and I'll be on our toes," Theron said confidently.

With that final word, Theron marched away from Saxton along with the other Engineers while Bobbie and Gerald brought up the rear. They followed the dirt path till they were out of Mountain Lab altogether and then made their way in the general direction of the mountain where Coldfront was located while enduring high winds and frequent storms that blew over. This made their trek a lot longer than anticipated, but by nightfall they saw the outline of the buildings that made up 5Gorge Base.

To be continued…


	7. Chapter 7: Under Gorge

Chapter 7: Under Gorge

Into the BLU Base the company entered and immediately made preparations to start a fire. Unfortunately, most of the wood was wet so the Engineers were forced to bundle up in the wool blankets Saxton had given them instead. While Bobbie started sneezing from the cold, Gerald made himself useful by giving the Engineers renewed energy with his Medi-Gun.

"Thanks, Doc," Finley said gladly.

"We definitely owe you one," Kinley responded.

"No need to thank me," Gerald said embarrassingly. "I'm just doing my job."

"So all we have to do is cross this bridge in order to enter the RED Base," Theron said looking at a concrete bridge that ran from the second floor of the BLU Base to the RED one with a Control Point in the middle.

"Yes, but I would advice against it given the intensity of the storm," Gerald responded as thunder shook the building.

But what caught Theron's attention more was a flickering light that emanated from inside the RED Base. He observed it for a few moments, and then leapt down from the stairs.

"Something bothering you, Theron?" Daran asked.

"Ah, it's nothing," Theron said shaking his head. "Thought I saw a light in the RED Base, but maybe I'm seeing things."

"Kinley and I could keep watch tonight just in case," Finley said.

"No, boys, you need rest," Theron insisted. "We all do."

"Then I'll stand guard," Gerald offered. "I'm a very light sleeper and will let you know if there's trouble afoot."

"Appreciate it, Doc," Theron nodded.

###

Several hours later, Bobbie woke up from a nightmare and saw that not only was Gerald asleep but the supplies Saxton had provided were now gone from the corner they were placed at earlier. He then heard footsteps and glanced toward the stairs that led to the concrete bridge. There, several figures that looked like Engineers were carrying the extra sacks of food, blankets, kitchenware, and firewood that made up Saxton's supplies.

"Hey!" Bobbie shouted, reaching for his bat. "We got thieves over here!"

Immediately, the Engineers and Gerald woke up just as the mysterious figures were crossing the concrete bridge. With Bobbie running further ahead, the company crossed the bridge which was slick and wet from the rain. A few Engineers slipped, but they did not fall as they all made their way into the RED Base. Inside, it was too dark to see so Gerald used his Staff of Freedom to illuminate the place. What they found were several people that looked like Engineers who had robotic eyes, arms, and feet surrounding them wielding Jag Wrenches and Short Circuits.

"Cyborgs!" Theron snapped. "I should've known!"

Then without warning, the Cyborgs attacked. Though the Engineers tried their best to fend them off, the Cyborgs with the Short Circuit hands managed to shock them with bolts of electricity. As for Bobbie, he tried to swing his bat at a Cyborg who retaliated by hitting it with a Jag Wrench which caused the bat to break. Gerald, on the other hand, raised the Staff of Freedom and shouted, " _Barpo invisium!_ " which caused him to seemingly vanish. Then once all the Engineers were knocked out including Bobbie, the Cyborgs bound their hands and feet with metal coils before dragging them further into the Base.

###

By the time Bobbie and the Engineers woke up, they were lying next to some crates in a dark room with several robotic eyes looking at them. Without saying a word, the Cyborgs dragged Bobbie and the others through a series of dark corridors until they got into what looked like a Control Room which contained a round wooden table and several chairs that looked old and dusty. At the head of this table stood a man who was slightly taller than the other Cyborgs only because his head was replaced by a television set that had a pixelated face on it and there was a control panel strapped to his body containing three buttons.

" _Well, well, well,_ " the Cyborg with the television set head chuckled. " _What have we got here?_ "

"A group of Engineers and a Scout," said one of the Cyborgs who had a Short Circuit hand. "We found them lounging inside the BLU Base across the bridge."

" _Was there anyone else with them?_ " the Cyborg with the television head asked.

"Uh, no," the Cyborg with the Short Circuit hand said nervously.

" _Liar!_ " The Cyborg with the television head then pressed a button on his chest which caused the Cyborg with the Short Circuit hand to electrocute himself with it. " _The next one who lies to me is a dead man!_ "

Another Cyborg gulped and said, "They had a Medic with them, Mister Beep Man."

" _A Medic?_ " The Cyborg with the television head's face turned from surprised to concerned. " _Did you capture him as well?_ "

"We weren't able to, sir," said a third Cyborg whose hand was mechanical.

The Cyborg known as Beep Man pressed the same button again which caused the third Cyborg's mechanical hand to choke him until he passed out.

" _Search the premises!_ " Beep Man ordered. " _The Medic may be working for someone who wants to overthrow us, and these Engineers are going to tell us who it is._ "

"He's working for me," Theron said, causing Beep Man look at him.

" _And why is that?_ " Beep Man asked.

"I needed him to guide us to Snowycoast," Theron answered. "We're visiting some relatives of ours over there."

"Then how do you explain this?" the second Cyborg said stepping forward with the Southern Hospitality wrench in his hands.

Seeing it, Beep Man's face became angry. " _The Southern Hospitality Wrench! Kill 'em all!_ "

There was a sudden flash of lightning, and the Cyborgs were knocked down to the floor. In the middle of the room stood Gerald and he was brandishing the Amputator Saw. Afraid of it, the Cyborgs backed away including Beep Man as Gerald approached the Engineers and Bobbie. With one swipe each, Gerald was able to cut the metal coils which allowed them to get up and run from the room.

To be continued…


	8. Chapter 8: Taunting in the Dark

Chapter 8: Taunting in the Dark

"Is everyone accounted for?" Gerald asked once they were far enough away from the Cyborgs to take a break. He then counted heads including Bobbie who was wheezing in a corner. " _Jawohl_ (Yes)! All fifteen members of Theron's company are here."

Echoes of angry shouts soon followed, forcing the company to run up a flight of stairs to an open doorway. There was snow covering the ground outside and a chilly wind was blowing. The sky was dark due to constant stream of clouds and the moon was hidden as a result.

"I don't believe it!" Theron said with raised eyebrows. "Those Cyborgs took us all the way from 5Gorge to Coldfront while we were knocked unconscious! This just made our trip a lot easier."

Before them stood a wooden bridge with a significant gap in the middle. As the shouts got louder, the company ran across the bridge with Bobbie ahead. Unfortunately, he slipped on some ice and fell off the bridge just as the Cyborgs appeared. While the rest of the company ran into the adjacent building that was on the other side of the bridge, Bobbie lay in the snow for a few seconds before getting up. Not seeing anyone around, he made his way for the metal fence that was perpendicular to the bridge.

A Cyborg with metal feet spotted him immediately. So Bobbie leaped onto the fence and climbed over it. After that, Bobbie ran for a while until he got to an abandoned cabin with the roof caved in and two-fourths of the walls destroyed. For a moment, he thought he was safe when several footsteps were heard. Bobbie then hid behind one of the walls as the footsteps got closer. Then a third set of footsteps followed, and there were screams and cries for help. Bobbie dared not to look and attempted to reach for his sword when he felt something small beneath his hand.

"What's this?" Bobbie picked up the thing and unfolded his hand. The object he held was a small blue bomb with a light on top which was revealed by a shred of moonlight that came through the clouds. Fascinated by it, Bobbie stared at the bomb until he heard footsteps which caused him to immediately put the bomb in his pocket.

A series of mumbles accompanied the footsteps and soon a face appeared beside Bobbie. But as Bobbie's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized it wasn't a face but a gas mask that covered the person's entire face and head. Meanwhile, the rest of the person's body was bare except for a pair of worn-out trousers that were torn and a pair of rubber gloves.

"Aren't you cold?" Bobbie asked, though he regretted saying it.

The person's mask moved as he spoke. " _Hue es naut cod_ (We is not cold)."

Assuming the person was of the Pyro Class, Bobbie was able to translate most of what they were saying. "You're not cold? What are you?"

" _Hue hash no nam, ramble_ (We has no name, mumble)."

"Mumble? Is that what you are?"

The person shook his head. " _Hue don no what hue ar_ (We don't know what we are)."

"Then I'll call you Mumble for the time-being. Are you, uh, a resident here?"

" _Ewask alota qestns fera mrsl. Wat iz zu cold?_ (You ask a lot of questions for a morsel. What is you called?)"

"I'm Bobbie Billows, a Scout from Harvest and — wait, did you just refer to me as a morsel?"

" _Wat iza Biwos, Preshis? Izzit tasti? Izzit juce?_ (What is a Billows, Precious? Is it tasty? Is it juicy?)."

As the creature called Mumble crept closer, Bobbie held up the Three-Rune Blade and pointed it threateningly at Mumble. "Don't come any closer! I got a sword and I'm not afraid to use it. Now, is there a way over the mountain from here?"

" _Hue nows awai, but hue iznot telling yu_ (We knows a way, but we is not telling you)."

"Aw, come on! What do I gotta do to make you tell me?"

Mumble paused for a moment and then stepped closer. " _Ifu kan bet us in a gam ofrokpapasisas, hue mite tellu. But ifu cant, then hue etsu hole_ (If you can beat us in a game of Rock Paper Scissors, we might tell you. But if you can't, then we eats you whole)."

Bobbie backed away slightly and almost tripped. He then sighed and said, "Fine. How many games did you gave in mind?"

The creature held up three fingers. Satisfied, Bobbie put the Three-Rune Blade in his backpack while keeping an eye on Mumble the whole time. Once that was done, he put his left fist over his right palm. After Mumble did the same, he and Bobbie counted to three and revealed their hands. Mumble's hand was completely flat while Bobbie held up his pointer and middle finger.

"Scissors! I win!" Bobbie cheered while Mumble grumbled.

They started again, and this time Bobbie's hand was flat and Mumble's hand was shaped like scissors. He made a menacing giggle while Bobbie nervously set up for the next one. After the countdown, Bobbie had a flat hand again while Mumble's fist was clenched.

"Woo! You got owned!" Bobbie cried happily.

Angrily, Mumble lunged himself at Bobbie only to be met by the Three-Rune Blade's tip poking his throat.

"You promised to show me the way over the mountain if I won, right?" Bobbie said, trying to sound confident though his knees were shaking. "That was the deal."

Instead of moving, Mumble reached into his trouser pocket. Upon not producing anything, Mumble searched himself and around the area muttering ' _Preshis_ (Precious)' the whole time. Once he was near the Control Point, Mumble put his hands on his head nervously.

" _Huer izit, Preshis? Iz gone frumus! Stolin! Los! Unles…_ (Where is it, Precious? It's gone from us! Stolen! Lost! Unless…)

Bobbie gritted his teeth as Mumble turned his head slowly toward him. Then Mumble sprinted right toward him and Bobbie immediately ran out of the cabin into the snowy field outside. He saw a stone cliff before him and leapt onto a ledge that was a foot above him. Unfortunately, Mumble had grabbed onto his leg in the process so Bobbie kicked him in the face and got onto the ledge successfully. Then he made his way up the rest of the cliff and into the snow-covered forest at the top. He heard footsteps behind him and looked down at his wrist. On it there was a wristwatch that he had taken from the Bird-Headed men's nest which was silver in color and had several small buttons along a wooden outline around a blank screen.

"Maybe I shouldn't have taken you, let alone left my home," Bobbie said as his foot tripped on a hidden stone.

He wound up tumbling down a slope, which was thankfully short, though he was bruised and scratched by many a hidden root and plant. But what surprised Bobbie more was that he was now completely invisible with no hands or feet to be seen. He looked down at the watch and saw several blue notches that were slowly disappearing. Once they vanished, he became visible once more. Amazed, Bobbie pressed the wristwatch again but nothing happened.

"Huh, that was weird," Bobbie remarked as he dusted snow off himself and continued wandering through the forest.

To be continued…


	9. Chapter 9: Robot-Scouts

Chapter 9: Robot-Scouts

After fiddling with the wristwatch for a while, Bobbie managed to figure out how it worked. When he pressed one of the buttons, the watch made him turn invisible but for short periods of time before it had to recharge. As the clouds started to part overhead, Bobbie saw a small light further down the mountain slope and ran towards it.

###

"It's almost dawn," Brian said as he watched the mountain sides from behind a large boulder while further down Gerald and the other Engineers were gathered around a small campfire. "I don't think Bobbie's going to show."

"Darn," Finley said as he slumped his shoulders. "We should've gone back for him."

"And risked getting ourselves killed by those Cyborgs?" Theron responded bitterly. "There was nothing we could've done for him."

"Are you sure about that?" Kinley asked. "Seems to me like you just didn't want to put up with him anymore."

"Watch yer tongue, boy!" Theron said threatening to hit Kinley.

In response, Finley got up and shielded Kinley. "There's no need to get violent, Theron. But if you touch my brother, then I will."

"Then let's settle this Texas style," Theron said cracking his knuckles.

"You will do no such thing," Gerald said sternly. "Not while I'm here."

"Like you're the one to talk," Theron glared at Gerald intensely. "You dragged the poor string-bean out of his cozy home in Harvest and hoped he'd somehow be of use to us. Now we've lost him, and it's all your fault!"

There was a brief period of silence as Theron walked over to the boulder and put his head in his hand.

"Without our Scout, there's no way we can get past Pyro," Neylan said checking his Pistol.

"He's right," Olan agreed. "We're not nearly as fast as Scouts and the fourteen of us are no match against one Giant Robot."

"But we have Gerald with us, boys," Theron said assuredly to Olan. "With him, we're practically unstoppable!"

"Not quite," Gerald stated abruptly. "Though I am a powerful Medic in my own right, there are limits to what I can do."

"Then we might as well call the whole thing off," Braze said munching on a piece of jerky.

"And go where?" Blaze demanded. "This Mission is too important. We can't abandon it now!"

"So we march onto Thunder Mountain without a Scout?" Baize chuckled. "If nothing else kills us first, then the Giant Robot will do us in for sure."

"We'll worry about that when we get there," Theron said urgently. "Put out the fire and cover your footprints. I want to be off this mountain before those Cyborgs catch up."

"Hey," Bobbie said suddenly appearing in front of the fire. "Aren't you forgetting someone?"

"Bobbie!" Gerald exclaimed.

"Where in Sam Hill did you come from?" Brian asked. "I didn't even see ya."

"Allow me to explain," Bobbie said holding up the wristwatch. "This watch allows me to temporarily become invisible. I took it from the Bird-Headed men's nest back in Granary."

While the Engineers looked confused, Bobbie gave them a demonstration by pushing a button which made him vanish. For several seconds, the Engineers panicked until Bobbie reappeared once more.

"Hoowee! Would you look at that?" Finley exasperated.

"Looks like you stumbled onto a magical artifact, son," Oage said wide-eyed.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Oage, but the watch is not magical," Gerald responded. "Members of the Spy Class wore such watches before the Machine Wars, and I believe some of them still do to this day."

"Do you know what they're called?" Olan asked. "The watches, I mean."

"Invis Watches," Gerald answered. "For obvious reasons."

Theron's eyebrows furrowed. "If that's the case, my grandpappy must've hired one who got killed at the Double Cross incident and then the Bird-Headed folk took the watch from his body afterward."

Gerald nodded in response. "A very likely scenario, given how wealthy your grandfather was."

The sudden sound of metal clanking got everyone's attention.

"That sounds like Robot Scouts," Gerald said urgently. "Quick, into the trees!"

Without questioning him, Bobbie and the Engineers ran into the nearby pine trees and hid underneath the branches. They all sat perfectly still as the metal clanking got louder until they could see shapes moving down below them. The Robot Scouts were easily recognized by their slender bodies and bat-shaped weapons.

" _Fire looks fresh,_ " one of the Robot Scouts said. " _Someone was here not too long ago._ "

" _Or several people, judging by the large number of footprints,_ " another Robot Scout replied.

" _They can't have gotten very far,_ " said a voice that was much deeper in tone than the Robot Scouts' voices.

From around the giant boulder appeared a much bigger robot who wore a helmet on its head and a blue military uniform.

"Alclad," Theron muttered quietly.

The bigger robot suddenly looked up, causing Theron to avert his eyes.

" _What is it, Alclad?_ " The first Robot Scout asked.

" _Nothing, Bolt,_ " said the bigger robot. " _I want you and the other Scouts to examine this entire area from top to bottom._ "

" _Gotcha!_ " the Robot Scout called Bolt said and signaled the other Scouts to run elsewhere.

As Bobbie and the Engineers sat nervously in their trees, Gerald reached for a sleeping dove located in an upper branch. Once he grabbed it, the dove woke up angrily but Gerald whispered something in its ear. The dove was immediately silenced and flew off.

Alclad noticed the flying dove and waved Bolt over. " _Did you see where that bird came from?_ "

" _One of the trees,_ " Bolt guessed, pointing to the tree Gerald was hiding in. " _That one, I believe._ "

" _Odd,_ " Alclad observed. " _Most birds tend to sleep during the night. Either something disturbed it, or there's a Spy in that tree. In either case, we can't be too careful._ "

" _Yeah, I got it,_ " Bolt said, picking up a Force-a-Nature gun and aiming it at the retreating dove.

Before Bolt had the chance to fire, a bolt of lightning suddenly leapt from one of the trees toward him. He quickly dodged the lightning bolt, and re-aimed his gun. Unfortunately, the dove was gone and Alclad seemed disappointed.

" _It wasn't my fault,_ " Bolt complained. " _That lightning came out of nowhere and almost hit me. Good thing I got quick reflexes, though._ "

" _That's no excuse,_ " Alclad said firmly. " _If there is a Spy in one of these trees, you just let him signal for help. Now we must find the Spy and find out who he's working for before reinforcements arrive. So retrieve the others, Bolt, and make it snappy!_ "

Without saying a thing, Bolt left Alclad's side.

To be continued…


	10. Chapter 10: Out of the Woods

Chapter 10: Out of the Woods

Once the Robot Scouts were back, Alclad ordered them to use their Boston Bashers to knock the trees over. But as they approached the trees, several bolts of lightning came down upon them. A couple of Robot Scouts were electrocuted and destroyed, but the rest stepped back.

" _What's the matter, boys?_ " Alclad said folding his arms. " _Afraid of a little lightning?_ "

" _It's not natural,_ " one of the Robot Scouts proclaimed.

" _Something must be causing it,_ " another said. " _Maybe it's a ghost!_ "

" _Or a Medic,_ " Alclad said picking up a Rocket Launcher. " _Stand back, maggots! I'll flush the pest out myself!_ "

As Alclad aimed the Rocket Launcher at his tree, Bobbie used the Invis Watch to turn invisible and jump down. The Robots were startled by the sound of his feet, but they could not see him. Quickly, he ran further down the slope. Several explosions then followed, but Bobbie paid no attention to them. Eventually, he came upon a steep cliff with a large rock jutting out over the edge. It was then that the Invis Watch ran out as Bobbie looked for another way down. Out of curiosity, he looked back the way he came and saw a horrible sight.

Several of the trees his comrades were hiding in had caught fire, and there were black shapes moving quickly down the slope toward him. Thinking they were Robot Scouts, Bobbie ran to the edge of the rock only to see darkness. He then looked back, and saw that the shapes were indeed Robot Scouts but now there were shorter shapes following after them. It didn't take long for Bobbie to realize the shorter shapes were Engineers, and so he raised his Three-Rune Blade.

"Hey, knuckleheads!" Bobbie said getting the Robot Scouts attention. "Come and get some!"

Angered, the Robot Scouts ran toward him but they were clobbered from behind. There were robotic cries followed by sparks, and then silence. Relieved, Bobbie lowered the Three-Rune Blade and walked over to where the Robots had fallen. There he found Finley, Kinley, Oage, and Gage dismantling the Robots limb by limb.

"Howdy," Finley said noticing Bobbie. "Glad to see you're all right."

"Same here," Bobbie said, looking back up the slope. "What about the others?"

"They jumped out of the trees right as Alclad fired his rockets," Kinley replied. "Then we went down to save you while the rest stayed behind."

"Why?" Bobbie asked.

"Theron wanted to confront Alclad," Oage answered. "So the others decided to help him."

Before Bobbie could respond, another explosion occurred further up. The Engineers looked back and saw several small figures and a much taller one heading down the slope.

"It's Alclad!" Gage said picking up his Wrench. "He's killed Theron and the others!"

He was about to go charging upward when Oage held him back. The figures came closer and it turned out they were the other Engineers with Gerald bringing up the rear. In his arms he carried Theron who was limp with his head tilted back.

"We cannot stay here!" Gerald cried. "Are there any paths leading further down?"

"No," Bobbie said.

Sighing, Gerald looked at the rock and said, "Get on there!"

Reluctantly, the Engineers and Bobbie stepped onto the giant rock.

"This seems like a bad idea," Daran said taking Theron from Gerald's arms. "We'll be trapped if they show up."

"Do not worry, Daran," Gerald responded. "Help is on the way!"

As soon as he spoke, Alclad came marching down the slope with several Robot Scouts running behind him led by Bolt. Immediately, the Engineers took out their Wrenches and Pistols with Gerald providing health to them with his Medi-Gun. Meanwhile, Bobbie held the Three-Rune Blade up and stared at the looming Robot Soldier that approached them.

" _Thought you could outrun me, eh?_ " Alclad chuckled as he held up the Rocket Launcher once more. " _Any last words?_ "

"Only one," Gerald said putting away the Medi-Gun. Then he shouted, "Archimedes!"

Then to everyone's surprise, Gerald leapt off the edge of the rock and reappeared a few seconds later riding a dove that was the size of a small plane.

" _What?_ " Alclad said stepping back as the dove's flapping wings stirred up dust. " _How is this possible?_ "

"These birds have had a connection with my Class since the first Medic was cloned," Gerald said as several doves that were similar to the first swooped down and picked up everyone else who was on the rock.

" _Kill them!_ " Alclad ordered as he fired several rockets from his Rocket Launcher.

Fortunately, the rockets missed the doves as they flew away from the mountain and down a winding valley that became more hilly and dry as time passed.

###

By daybreak, the doves had reached Dustbowl which was marked by two multi-story shacks with a railroad running between them. There was a barn next to one of the buildings which had a Control Point inside which the doves dropped the Engineers onto along with Bobbie and Gerald. Then in a graceful flock, they arched upward and flew in a northeastern direction.

"Where are they going?" Bobbie wondered as he watched the doves fly away.

"Back to their nest," Gerald explained.

"Aw, I wish they could've flown us all the way to Thunder Mountain," Finley said snapping his thumb.

There was a sudden groaning, and everyone noticed Theron was stirring in Daran's arms. Concerned, Daran placed Theron gently onto the roof of the barn and allowed him to recover. Once he was fully awake, the Engineers explained everything that happened up till now.

"I still can't believe it," Theron said shaking his head. "Alclad's alive and more powerful than before! No matter how many times I hit 'em, he just kept laughing until he knocked me out with that killer punch of his."

"You're very lucky to be alive right now," Gerald said using the Medi-Gun to heal Theron's wounds. "If we had stayed any longer, Alclad would've finished us off."

Rubbing his swollen cheek, Theron looked around and found Bobbie standing awkwardly toward the back.

"Bobbie!" Theron shouted, getting Bobbie's attention. "Where in Sam Hill did you run off to when we were escaping the Cyborgs?"

When everyone stared at him, Bobbie reluctantly told them about his encounter with Mumble. He did not say anything about the bomb which he had placed in a hidden compartment within the watch itself.

"You know…you've got to be the dumbest Scout I've ever met," Theron said taking a few steps closer to Bobbie. "But I'd be lying if I said you weren't missed."

He then patted Bobbie on the back while the other Engineers whooped and hollered.

"Did I miss something?" Bobbie said blinking in confusion.

"A pat on the back is a sign of trust in our Class," Kinley said doing the same gesture. "Now you're officially part of the company!"

"Still would've been nice to get to Thunder Mountain on those birds," Finley said looking up at the sky.

"Which is closer than you think," Gerald said as he walked onto the roof of the multi-layered building next to the barn.

The others followed, until they were standing on the very top. Beyond the winding canyons that lay before them, there was the faint outline of a single mountain against the eastern horizon.

To be continued…


	11. Chapter 11: The House of Boris

Chapter 11: The House of Boris

Following the railroad tracks through a mining tunnel, the company noticed the dirt-covered walls were becoming damp and the temperature rose as well.

"Whew! I'm sweating like a pig over here," Braze said adjusting his shirt collar.

"Maybe you're turning into one," Finley joked.

Hearing that, Braze raised his fist but was stopped by Baize who turned to Gerald. "How much farther do we have to go?"

"Not far," Gerald replied.

"Are you sure?" Bobbie said. "I was told the Badlands would be more dry and not humid."

"We're going south of the Badlands," Gerald said, causing Theron to look at him with surprise.

"What for?" Theron demanded.

"We're going to see someone who can help us," responded Gerald. "His name is Boris, and he's a Minsk Beast."

"You mean a Freak?" Daran asked.

"No, nothing that monstrous," Gerald assured. "He comes from a group of Heavies who grew bull horns under the light of the full moon or during Halloween."

Daran's brow furrowed. "Are there others like him?"

Gerald shook his head. "They're all dead now, except for Boris."

As he spoke, a light appeared at the end of the tunnel prompting the Engineers to run toward it. On the other side, they beheld a small valley with lush green foliage and abandoned buildings.

"Oh my God," Kinley said rubbing his eyes in disbelief. "What's this?"

"Borneo, a long forgotten Area in the American jungle," Gerald answered. "And it is also Boris' current home."

Warily, the Engineers and Bobbie followed Gerald down the railroad tracks through Borneo till they were underneath a bridge. Below them lay the BLU Base which was a large building where the tracks ended and a single Heavy stood. He wore spiked armor on one shoulder and had a big metal nose ring.

"Now I want Bobbie to accompany me while the rest of you stay here," Gerald said ushering the Engineers behind one of the bridge posts while the Heavy wasn't looking.

"How come?" Neylan wondered.

"Boris doesn't like strangers, so we have to get him accustomed to us," Gerald explained. "After I've introduced Bobbie, I will whistle and have three of your party show up. Then I'll keep doing this till he's certain you're trustworthy."

"Seems a little tedious to me," Blaze said.

"We have no choice, Blaze," Olan stated. "We'll be waiting for your signal, Gerald."

Nodding, Gerald and Bobbie made their way down the slope toward the Heavy known as Boris while the Engineers stayed behind the bridge post. At the bottom of the slope, Boris noticed the approaching Medic and Scout and folded his arms defensively.

"Uh, _hallo_ (hello)," Gerald said trying to be friendly. "I am the Medic Gerald and this is Bobbie, a Scout from Harvest. Do you happen to know Rüdiger? He's another Medic who used to live near the Badlands?"

" _Da_ (yes)," Boris nodded. "He was odd, but not bad. Are you friend of his?"

"Yes, and we need your services," Gerald said. "You see, we had a run-in with some Cyborgs at Coldfront who stole all our provisions. When they proved too much to handle, me Bobbie and my other associates were forced to flee."

Boris' head turned sideways. "Other associates?"

"They're currently hiding right now, and can only be summoned by my whistles," Gerald said.

"Then summon them," Boris stated. "I don't like men who hide."

"As you wish." Gerald whistled causing Theron Daran and Brian to appear.

"Is this all?" Boris said looking perplexed.

"No, there are more," Gerald replied. "Thirteen, to be exact."

"Thirteen?" Boris' eyes widened. "And yet Cyborgs easily defeat you?"

"They didn't so much defeat us as catch us off-guard," Gerald said. "We were resting at 5Gorge for the night when suddenly we heard strange noises and woke up to see the Cyborgs taking our stuff. So we ran to deal with them and — do you mind if I call the others before continuing?"

"Go ahead," Boris said approvingly. "I am interested in story."

So Gerald whistled twice causing Neylan, Olan, Oage, Gage, Finley and Kinley to show up.

"There are nine Engineers here, not thirteen," Boris noted. "Did you miscount?"

"It would seem so," Gerald said. "Let me get the rest."

"Do so, and be quick about it!" Boris said impatiently.

After Gerald whistled a third time, he continued the story. By the time Dylan, Baize, Blaze, and Braze came down Boris seemed engrossed by Gerald's details of their capture and escape from the Cyborgs.

"I see thirteen now," Boris said seeing the remaining Engineers gather with the group. Then he noticed the sun was getting low. "It is late. Come inside."

Then he went into the BLU Base with Gerald, Bobbie, and the Engineers following him.

###

After a feast that was big enough to satisfy a king, the Engineers and Bobbie were led to some comfortable looking beds while Gerald and Boris stayed up later. As the full moon rose higher over the misty jungle, Bobbie heard Gerald settle into a corner of their room and snore profusely. Then after that, another strange sound caught Bobbie's attention. It was a low grunting sound, which grew louder with the clanking of metal before being silenced altogether.

###

The following morning, Boris said to Gerald, "Your story last night was good, but it lacked conviction. So I went to see for myself and saw you were telling truth."

"So those sounds I heard…were Robots?" Bobbie gulped.

"They are dead," Boris stated. "Look outside."

Bobbie did, and noticed a Robot Scout that was strung up like a carcass at the top of the slope.

"How many of them were there?" Theron asked.

"This much," Boris said as he held up five fingers.

"Was a Robot Soldier among them?"

" _Net_ (No)." Boris shook his head.

Theron muttered something to himself and stayed silent.

"We should be getting to the Badlands," Gerald said breaking the silence. "In case the Robots come here looking for us."

"Very well," Boris chimed in. "I will lead you out of Borneo to Badlands through secret path. And as bonus, take these."

Reaching into some barrels, Boris gave the company several provisions including food blankets and water bottles. Then following Boris, they went into another underground tunnel that went underneath BLU Base which led to a canyon that was several miles from Dustbowl.

"Ration water well, as Badlands are very dry," Boris warned. "Also do not leave rails. Bad things will happen."

Then with that, Boris turned around and walked away.

"I'm sorry, Theron, but this is as far as I go," Gerald said, causing Theron and the other Engineers to look at him with shocked expressions.

"What're you talking about?" Theron shouted.

"There are urgent matters I must attend to further south, which cannot be delayed."

"But how will we defeat Pyro without you?"

"You've got Bobbie. He's small enough to get past Pyro and faster than most of you."

"That's not enough to take down a freaking Robot, let alone a giant one like Pyro!"

"So why did you set off on this journey in the first place?" When Theron blinked, Gerald continued. "When we met at 2Fort, I made it clear I wouldn't go the entire way. That's why I brought Bobbie into this: to go where I cannot. If you're too scared to face the Giant Robot without me, then I suggest calling off the Mission now."

Everyone looked at Theron, who clenched his fists. Then he sighed and said, "All those in favor of continuing the Mission without Gerald, raise your hand."

To his surprise, everyone except Gerald did.

"You too, Bobbie?" Theron said. "I thought for sure you were going to want to go back home."

"I signed a contract, and a good Mercenary sticks to it," Bobbie responded.

Theron chuckled. "Thought you'd say that."

"Well, I must be off," Gerald said as a pair of wings sprung from his back. "Remember to stick to the rails, and not stray from them."

"We won't!" Brian said raising his hand up. "Farewell!"

The other Engineers waved to Gerald as he flew up into the air and went in a southerly direction.

"Did you know he could do that?" Daran asked Theron.

"Nope," Theron replied.

"That Medic's just full of surprises, isn't he?" Oage said with a bemused smile.

"Yeah, but he was our one shot at defeating Pyro for good!" Gage snapped. "Now it's just us."

"And Bobbie," Brian reminded. "He's the one who'll be getting us into Thunder Mountain."

"But what about after that?" Baize said doubtfully. "If that tin-can sees us—

"We'll deal with Pyro when we have to," Theron interrupted. "But right now we need to get through this blasted desert if we're to reach Thunder Mountain before Dell's Day."

Then Theron marched down the train tracks heading into the Badlands while Bobbie and the other Engineers trailed behind.

To be continued…


	12. Chapter 12: Badlands

Chapter 12: Badlands

In the days that followed, Bobbie and the Engineers traveled along the railroad tracks through the barren desert canyons with the sun high above them and no water in sight. They rationed the bottles that Boris gave them, but even that only took them so far. Then when nighttime came a cold northerly wind kept blowing in making them shiver constantly. As a result, some of the Engineers came down with ammonia and were too weak to keep moving. So they rested near a large rock and watched as the burning sun climbed upward.

"Hey, Bobbie," Theron said wearily. "How good are you at climbin' things?"

"Pretty good," Bobbie replied. "Why?"

Theron nodded to the cliff behind them. "Do you think you could scale this cliff and figure out where we are?"

"Um, sure," Bobbie said, trying to hide the anxiety in his voice. "Though I'm more used to climbing trees than cliffs."

"They're not that different," Daran responded. "Just one's made of wood and the other's made of rock."

"And if you fall, we'll be here to catch you," Finley said. "Right, Kinley?"

"Yeah," Kinley answered.

"Okay." Bobbie looked up and the cliff and then down at his worn-out shoes. "Well, here goes nothing."

He then backed away from the cliff while the Engineers parted to make a path for him. After taking a deep breath, Bobbie took off like a rocket and ran straight up the cliff face. With the top above him, Bobbie persevered until he was standing on firm ground again. Below him, the Engineers cheered loudly making Bobbie feel proud. But as he scanned the horizon, his hopes sank. Beyond the rock there was more canyon and seemingly no end to it. Looking back the way they came, Bobbie saw the tracks but after a while they vanished so he couldn't tell how far his company had come.

A series of shouts and gunfire suddenly erupted causing Bobbie to look downward. From his perspective the Engineers were being attacked by a bunch of strange men wielding frying pans, guns, knives, and so forth. Worried he might be seen, Bobbie crouched down and watched as his comrades were knocked out and carried toward the giant rock. To his surprise, one of the men pushed aside the boulder like it was a paperweight and he went inside a hidden cave along with the others dragging the Engineers with them.

 _That's how they took the Engineers by surprise_ , Bobbie realized. _They were hiding in that cave the whole time, waiting to ambush us. I don't know where they're taking the Engineers, but it can't be good. I've got to save them, somehow._

Then as Bobbie looked down at the InvisWatch around his wrist, an idea formed.

###

"Aye! What a catch!" said a BLU Demoman who carried a frying pan and wore a hat with a treasure box on top. "So many new customers!"

A Sniper wearing a black shirt and vest chuckled as he sharpened a Kukri Knife nearby. "The fun's just getting started."

"All in a day's work," said a RED Spy wearing a fedora who was checking his revolver. "Now onto Phase Two of our plan. Once our hostages have woken up, Demopan will try to force them into a trade offer in exchange for information on Panis Cupcake's whereabouts. If they refuse to participate—

"They'll have to deal with me," the Sniper said checking the sharpness of his knife.

"I was just getting to that, Christian Brutal Sniper," the RED Spy replied irritably.

"Oi, Gentlespy!" the BLU Demoman said abruptly. "The Engineers seem to be stirring."

"Then wake them up, Demopan," the RED Spy said standing up. "We don't have all day."

"Right," the BLU Demoman nodded and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Get up, you lazy bums!"

Hearing that, the Engineers stirred but didn't move.

"Are you lads deaf?" Demopan said as he raised his frying pan. "I said—

"Hold it, Demopan," Gentlespy grabbed Demopan's wrist. "Let me take a look."

Nervously, Demopan let go and nurtured his swollen wrist. While Christian Brutal Sniper watched, Gentlespy shook the Engineers violently and then he kicked Braze's stomach. The fat Engineer groaned as he rolled over, showing a swollen black mark on the back of his neck. Curious, Gentlespy checked the others and found similar black marks as well. Then he turned to Christian Brutal Sniper and frowned.

"You didn't poison them, did you?" Gentlespy said in a cold steely tone.

"I had to knock them out somehow," Christian Brutal Sniper shrugged, holding up a Huntsman Arrow with a gleaming tip. "Put some snake venom on this arrow and poked 'em with it. Should wear off in a few hours."

"You bleeding idiot!" Demopan shouted angrily. "My customers will be dead by then!"

Christian Brutal Sniper was about to reach for his Kukri Knife when Gentlespy interceded. "The RED Base isn't too far from here, Demopan, so I'll go and get the antidote for the venom there."

"Can I come?" Christian Brutal Sniper said excitedly.

"No," Gentlespy ordered. "You stay here with Demopan, and don't get any bright ideas about killing our hostages before we've questioned them."

"But—

"Be patient. You'll get your bloodbath soon. Trust me."

Reluctantly, Christian Brutal Sniper nodded. While Gentlespy left the cave, Demopan paced the room anxiously. Then a rock came sailing from the darkness and hit Demopan on the head. He looked at Christian Brutal Sniper.

"Did you just throw something at me?" Demopan demanded.

"No, but someone did." Christian Brutal Sniper's nose wrinkled. "I can smell them."

Nearby, an invisible Bobbie panicked as he quickly ran out of the cave and stood outside it. Then after clearing his throat, Bobbie said in a fake French accent, "Christian Brutal Sniper! Demopan! I have ze antidote!"

Hearing that, the two Freaks looked toward the cave and saw no one.

"Where're you hiding?" Demopan asked.

"Right outside ze cave," Bobbie said, still faking the accent. "If you want ze antidote, you're going to have to come out and get it."

Urgently, Demopan ran out just as Bobbie threw another pebble several feet away.

"I still don't see you, Gentlespy," Demopan said looking around.

"I'm invisible," Bobbie replied. "There were some RED Snipers that saw me leave and they might try to follow me. But I accidentally dropped ze antidote on my way here. Could you find it for me, please?"

"Is it down there?" Demopan said as he pointed down the tracks.

"Yes," Bobbie affirmed. When Demopan hesitated, he attempted to mimic Gentlespy's angry voice. "Do you want ze customers alive or not?"

The affect seemed to work as Demopan ran down the tracks in the pebble's direction. Then Bobbie turned his attention to the cave and threw a rock into it. There was a sudden outcry and Christian Brutal Sniper came charging out brandishing his Kukri Knife. While Bobbie snuck into the cave, Christian Brutal Sniper turned toward Demopan and ran toward him. Inside, Bobbie turned off the InvisWatch and tried to arouse the Engineers.

"Get up, guys!" Bobbie said, shaking each of them vigorously. "We need to get out of here! There're Freaks outside that'll kill us if we don't move! Come on!"

Just then there was a loud commotion outside which drew Bobbie's attention. He peeked outside the cave and saw the Freaks lying dead on the tracks before a bright green camper van. Then an arrow flew past his head, forcing him to duck back into the cave. Crouching near the back, Bobbie turned on the InvisWatch and pulled out the hidden watch compartment where the small Bomb was kept. Putting one finger over the light, he anxiously waited as footsteps swiftly approached the cave's entrance. To his surprise, it was two RED Snipers. One was male who wore a red shirt and brandished a Huntsman's Bow while the other was female with short brown hair wielding the same weapon. The female Sniper said something to the male one in a strange language and walked up to the Engineers. She came upon Kinley, whose eyes fluttered open for a brief moment. Surprised, the female Sniper flinched and then proceeded to touch his forehead.

"Bloody hell," the female Sniper muttered as she noticed the black mark on Kinley's neck. "Snake venom! We've got to get them to the Base, Matthias."

"Why should we, Tallara?" The male Sniper asked nonchalantly. "They're just a bunch of lousy Engineers."

"But we can't let them die here," Tallara argued. "That would be cruel."

"They shouldn't have gotten out of bed, then," replied Matthias.

Tallara huffed. "Fine, I'll carry them to the Base myself."

Then just as Tallara lifted Kinley onto her back, Matthias reluctantly whistled and a small owl flew in.

"Sir Hootsalot," Matthias said as the owl landed on his shoulder. "Take this message to my father Jarrah: send reinforcements to cave, got thirteen Engineers dying of snake venom. Got it, mate?"

The bird cried in response and flew away.

To be continued…


	13. Chapter 13: The Bushman Realm

Chapter 13: The Bushman Realm

Shortly after the owl left, several more Snipers appeared. While Matthias and Tallara told them what happened regarding the Freaks and their discovery of the cave, Bobbie watched nervously as the InvisWatch's effect wore off. Fortunately, he was so far back that the Snipers didn't notice him as they were picking up the Engineers and taking them out. Following them on foot, Bobbie saw the Snipers put the Engineers into the camper van which he quickly jumped onto before it took off down the tracks. Once they ended, Bobbie beheld a large area filled with buildings, bridges, and abandoned rail cars. It was here in front of the RED Base that Matthias and Tallara stopped the van causing Bobbie to almost fall off.

Next, the Snipers dragged the Engineers out of the van and into the Base's entrance. Bobbie followed them inside with the InvisWatch's power restored. He hid behind several pillars and crates to avoid being caught as the Engineers were taken to a large room with an open glass tube with a Control Point on it. Here stood a throne where an unusually tall Sniper sat wearing a reindeer pelt on top of his head. He regarded the Engineers disdainfully and spoke in the same language Matthias and Tallara spoke earlier.

In turn, Matthias responded, "There's no need to speak Aborigines with me, Dad. The Engineers are passed out from the venom in their systems."

"We think one of the Freaks poisoned them to possibly kill or eat later," Tallara stated.

"But why did you bring them before me?" The horned Sniper, whom Bobbie assumed was Jarrah, said. His voice was low and bitter.

"I was hoping you'd heal them with your shamanic powers," Tallara said, causing Jarrah to stare at her. "They don't deserve to die at the hands of those no-good Freaks."

Jarrah looked down at the Engineers and noticed Theron. When he saw the dragon tattoo, his eyes widened.

"Fine," Jarrah stated as he sat up from his throne. "I'll heal these bloody eggheads, and then have them locked up. Except for this one with the dragon tattoo. I wish to speak to him personally."

Without question, the Snipers stood back as Jarrah stood over the Engineers with a rainstick in his hands. After shaking it several times and chanting in Aborigines, he took out a Tribalman's Shiv knife and sliced off the blackened skin on the Engineer's necks where the venom had been injected. Then with Tallara's help, Jarrah was able to suck out the remaining poison from the wounds which he then cleaned with pads from a First Aid Kit Tallara gave him. After bandaging the cuts, Jarrah ordered the Snipers to take away everyone except for Theron.

###

An hour later, Theron woke up feeling groggy and feverish. There were chains wrapped around his hands and he was lying on a cold concrete floor.

"Had a nice nap?" said Jarrah, who was sitting back in his throne.

Theron looked around and saw nothing but Snipers. "Where're my comrades?"

"They're all right. You're lucky the venom didn't reach your hearts, or you'd be dead."

"Venom? From what?"

"Those Freaks that attacked you."

"Oh…did you save us?"

"Not intentionally, but one of us took pity on your lot and brought you here."

"Where's here?"

"The RED Base of Badlands, and I'm its sovereign."

"So you're Jarrah. I've heard a lot about you."

"And I have of you, Theron."

Hearing that, Theron flinched.

"The Administrator told us you had set off from Mountain Lab with the intention of reclaiming Thunder Mountain and all its gold. Now that interests me because of my former alliance with your grandfather, the Chief of Thunder Mountain."

Theron shifted uneasily. "You turned chicken when that Giant Robot Attacked us. How can you still call yourself an ally after that?"

"I sense bitterness in your tone." Jarrah frowned a little. "There was nothing I could do, Theron. My men were outmatched by that Robot, so we had no choice but to retreat."

"Liar!" Theron snapped. "You were just too afraid to face Pyro and wanted to save your own skin rather than help those in need."

"Oi! Watch your tongue!" Matthias was about to unsheathe his Kukri knife when Jarrah held up his hand.

"I'm willing to let bygones be bygones if you do something for me." When Theron said nothing, Jarrah continued. "Give me a share of Thunder Mountain's treasure, notably the tooth necklace (Crocodile Smile cosmetic) I gave him as a sign of our friendship, and I'll let you and your friends go."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then you'll be stuck here till you rot."

"I'd rather die than let a cowardly squatter like you take what's rightfully mine!"

To everyone's surprise, Jarrah laughed. "It seems the Merc's Sickness is starting to take hold of you. Take him to his cell!"

Two Snipers grabbed Theron, and though he tried to fight them. Nearby, Bobbie ran from his hiding spot and followed Theron to the cells where all the other Engineers were. They forced Theron into a small room and locked the door. Bobbie then waited for the Snipers to leave and quietly approached Theron's cell.

"Who's there?" Theron demanded.

" _It's me,_ " Bobbie whispered.

"Bobbie?" Theron said in a bewildered tone. "How'd you—

" _I have the InvisWatch, remember?_ "

"Right, I forgot. Are you here to get us out?"

" _Not yet,_ " Bobbie replied. " _I'll think of something and let you know._ "

A set of footsteps caused Bobbie to become invisible and hide once more. It was Tallara, and she headed over to Kinley's cell.

"What's that?" Tallara asked, looking at a teddybear with blue overalls that Kinley was petting.

"Ah, it's nothing," Kinley said, putting the bear away.

"Let me see it," Tallara insisted.

Reluctantly, Kinley gave up the teddybear which Tallara proceeded to examine.

"If you think there's a hidden knife or bomb inside, you're dead wrong." When Tallara looked shocked, Kinley explained, "I was being sarcastic, ma'am. All that's in Teddy Roosebelt is cotton and a lot of love."

"From who? Your girlfriend?"

"My ma," Kinley answered. "I don't have a girl, let alone a home."

"Then where did you live before coming here?"

"Anywhere that offered me a job."

"Can you build things, like Sentrys or Dispensers?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Don't know how. All the tools and blueprints were lost after Pyro took over Thunder Mountain, so I had nothing to work with."

"So what kind of work have you done?"

"I mostly make cosmetic items and sell them at the Outposts. My specialty is stuffed animals, like this bear which is the only thing I've got from my ma."

"Did she die?"

"No, we got separated during the escape from Thunder Mountain and I haven't seen her since."

"I'm so sorry."

Finley scuffed. "You should be. If your people had helped, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"We tried to help, but it wasn't enough."

"You mean Jarrah didn't want to risk his own life."

"He didn't want his men to die, and our arrows would not have been able to penetrate Pyro's metal skin."

"Don't you have rifles?"

"There are none here."

"Why's that?"

"Because knowledge of such weapons has been lost since the Machine Wars ended. The only Area that actively uses them now is Gullywash."

"Then your situation's no different from ours," Finley realized.

"I suppose."

The two were silent for a few moments.

"I'll take your word that the bear has nothing dangerous in it." As Tallara slipped the teddybear through the cell door, Finley blocked her.

"Keep the bear," Finley said, which surprised Tallara. "It'll bring you good luck in battle."

"But it's your mother's," Tallara stated. "I can't accept this."

"Then consider it a gift to a fair lady."

At that moment, Tallara blushed and walked away with the bear still clutched in her arms.

To be continued…


	14. Chapter 14: Boxes Out of Bond

Chapter 14: Boxes Out of Bond

Later that night, Bobbie wandered around the Badlands Base trying to find something to set the Engineers free when he heard laughter nearby. Following the sounds, he came to a group of red colored rail cars where two Snipers stood. They were sharing a crate full of beer with lime slices at the top of each bottle while behind them stood an open car with several boxes inside.

"So these cars will be heading out to Teufort, eh?" said one Sniper who hiccuped.

"First thing tomorrow," replied the other who took another sip of beer. "A train engine will arrive, attach itself to these cars, and head northeast to the city."

"Right." The first Sniper finished his beer and threw it over his shoulder. "Well, I gotta get back to guarding those prisoners, mate."

"Na, stay here," the second Sniper insisted. "This crate of beer's not gonna finish itself."

So the two kept drinking till they finished the whole crate and wound up passing out in front of the train car.

"Sweet dreams, fellas," Bobbie said taking a ring of keys from the first Sniper. "Don't mind if I borrow this."

Then Bobbie ran back to the cells and made the same set of light tappings on Theron's door.

"Is that you, Bobbie?" Theron asked.

"Yeah," Bobbie said, holding up the keys.

Theron's eyes widened. "Where'd you get those?"

"From the guard," Bobbie answered and proceeded to shift through the keys.

When he found the right one, Bobbie jammed it into the lock which clicked. Swinging the door open, Theron stepped out with a confused look while Bobbie freed the others. Once they were all out, Bobbie led the Engineers to the open red cart where the Snipers were still sleeping. After putting the keys back on the first Sniper, Bobbie stepped over to a stack of boxes near the cart and pried them open with his Three-Rune Blade.

"Um, what're you doing?" Kinley asked.

"Giving you guys something to hide in so they can take us to Teufort on the rail car," Bobbie explained, relieved to find nothing in the boxes.

"You expect us to sit in those?" Braze said as he pointed to a box that seemed too small for him.

"Got any better ideas?" Bobbie snapped.

No one said anything in response as they reluctantly climbed into the open boxes. While some were big enough to fit two to three Engineers, others were much smaller. Then once they were all in, Bobbie reattached the lids just as a group of Snipers started to approach the boxes. Turning invisible, Bobbie watched as the Snipers picked up the boxes with their hidden cargo and shoved them into the rail car. Not a sound came from them as the Engineers forced themselves to not cry out or make too much noise inside. Then a couple Snipers went into the cart to rearrange the boxes before leaving. As they shut the car doors behind them, Bobbie dashed in and lay flat as a train whistle blew.

###

On the Northern Express Railroad, Bobbie and the Engineers rode out of the Badlands to Teufort. But on the way, Bobbie heard metal clanking followed by gunshots.

"Aw, jeez!" Bobbie cried. "What the hell's going on out there?"

Using the Three-Rune Blade, Bobbie pried the rail car door open. But as soon as he did, a Robot Scout that was running alongside the train looked at him.

"Uh, would you mind looking the other way?" Bobbie said jokingly.

The Robot Scout was about to take aim with his Scattergun when Bobbie heard footsteps followed by an arrow penetrating the Robot's forehead. Bobbie looked up and saw Tallara running on top of the cars wielding her Huntsman Bow. She was then followed by Matthias who did the same as more Robot Scouts started to appear. Quickly, Bobbie closed the door and stood back as rattling noises came outside. Then there was sudden cry and the sounds stopped.

Above, Tallara and Matthias saw more Robot Scouts appearing near the front of the train prompting them to move ahead. Before the Robots could reach the engine, they were taken out by the Snipers' arrows.

"That should be the last of them," Matthias said lowering his bow. "Now let's grab the escaped prisoners and get out of here."

" _I wouldn't move if I were you, chucklehead._ "

Tallara looked over her shoulder and saw a Robot Scout pointing a Force-a-Nature Gun at them. She reached for her Bushwacka Knife but was stopped by a sudden gunshot.

" _Nice try, but I'm too fast for you_ ," the Robot Scout beamed.

"Oh yeah?" Matthias tightened the trip on his bow and grinned.

He turned around and fired at the Robot Scout, but the arrow missed. Surprised, Matthias looked around when the Robot Scout suddenly appeared behind him. Seeing the Robot Scout's finger on the trigger of the gun, Tallara unsheathed the Bushwacka Knife and made a quick strike with it. The bullet that was fired ricocheted off the knife as Tallara stood in front of Matthias.

"Get off this train, mate," Tallara said to Matthias as she noticed something up ahead. "I'll take care of this bloke."

Matthias was about to speak but thought better of it as he ran toward the nearest ladder and climbed down.

" _You guys are such cowards,_ " the Robot Scout mused. " _But you're the first Sniper I've met who wants to stay and fight._ "

"Sounds like you're a big deal," Tallara remarked. "Did you plan this whole operation?"

" _Yeah, impressed?_ "

"I know some Robot Soldiers and Demomen led groups of Robots back in the Machine Wars. But I've never met a Robot Scout who commanded his own army."

" _I'm actually second-in-command, but currently acting as substitute commander for the time-being_ _._ "

"Then who's your leader?"

" _You may know him as Alclad the Destroyer._ "

Tallara's eyebrows raised. "Can you tell me where he is?"

" _Uh, no_ _! Now let's do this!_ "

As the Robot Scout dashed forward, Tallara dodged him. Then she tried to make a jab for his neck but he blocked her. The two fought like this for several minutes when the train started to approach a tunnel with a low ceiling. Seeing it, Tallara leaped off the car and grabbed onto the cliff next to the tracks. Meanwhile, the Robot Scout slammed against the ceiling and was crushed underneath it. Quickly, Tallara climbed up the cliff and reached the top of the tunnel where she saw the train emerge from the other side but the remains of the Robot Scout were nowhere to be found. In the distance, Tallara could make out the Thunder Mountains and the town of Teufort below.

"Are you going to pursue them?" Matthias said, approaching Tallara. "This is the furthest edge of our borders."

"I know," Tallara responded coldly. "But I'm still going."

Matthias grabbed Tallara by the arm. "You'll be branded a traitor if you do that."

"It doesn't matter. They're still our prisoners! They have no right to get away like that!"

"That's not your concern though, is it?"

Tallara flinched.

"That one Engineer…he gave you something. Then your face turned red."

"What's your point?" Tallara glanced inside her vest where the teddybear lay.

"Are you…eloping with him?"

"Of course not!" Tallara snapped, releasing herself from Matthias' grip. "I'm just trying to bring them back. That's what we set out to do, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but my Dad doesn't like it when Snipers leave the Badlands without permission."

"This is why I can't take you seriously, Matthias! Jarrah controls everything you do, making you less of a man and more like a dog!"

"Don't talk about my Dad like that!" Matthias then slapped Tallara across the face, causing her to fall over.

She would've rolled off the side of the tunnel if Matthias hadn't taken her hand. He pulled Tallara up, but she immediately let go and walked away.

"Ah, I'm sorry," Matthias apologized. "I didn't mean to do that. Honest!"

Instead of answering, Tallara started to descend the cliff on the other side of the tunnel. Matthias made a move to follow, but chose to stand still. He clenched his hand and said, "Fine! Go ahead and be with that egghead, then! I don't care anymore! And if you think about coming back, I'll kill you myself!"

An angry 'gah!' sound escaped from Matthias' mouth, causing Tallara to wince briefly but she still kept climbing down. The bright sun was obscured by a summer storm that was rolling in from the East, followed by heavy rain. While Matthias walked back to the Badlands Base, Tallara continued on foot toward Teufort.

To be continued…


	15. Chapter 15: Brent, a Merc of Teufort

Chapter 15: Brent, a Merc of Teufort

When the train stopped, the Engineers held their breath as the doors opened. Several men came in, picked up the boxes, and loaded them onto a pickup truck. Bobbie jumped on at the last second while he was invisible, which prompted the driver to look back but he didn't see anything. While the truck drove away, Bobbie stayed hidden as the InvisWatch's effect wore off. Then during a sharp turn in the road one of the boxes tilted downward, causing the Engineer inside to make a loud grunting sound. At that moment, the truck pulled over and stopped. A car door slammed, followed by footsteps while Bobbie waited for the InvisWatch to recharge.

The back of the truck was opened, allowing Bobbie to see a Soldier with a mustache and a scar on one side of his face. He wore a brown leather jacket, worn-out jeans, and plain boots. A brimmed cap with goggles obscured his face as he held up a Shotgun.

"All right, you thieves!" the Soldier yelled. "I know you're hiding back here!"

Bobbie looked down at the watch, which was now fully charged, and was about to press the button when the Soldier pushed aside one of the boxes. The two stared at each other for one moment before Bobbie unsheathed his Three-Rune Blade while the Soldier cocked the Shotgun.

"Just one today," the Soldier mused. "Thought there'd be more of you."

"Um, I'm not sure I follow," Bobbie responded, trying to stay calm.

"Don't play dumb, thief," the Soldier stated. "Your friends are hiding in the boxes, aren't they?"

Bobbie's heart stopped briefly.

"So I was right," the Soldier said as he prepared to kick one of the boxes over.

"Wait, hold up!" Bobbie shouted. "I can explain."

"There's nothing more to be said," the Soldier replied. "You boys were hoping to get your hands on the Liberty Launcher, weren't you?"

"The what?"

"I'm not falling for that trick again!" The Soldier pointed the Shotgun at the box. "Tell me the truth, or your friend gets it."

With no other options, Bobbie explained everything regarding him and the Engineers. The Soldier didn't say a word and occasionally looked at the boxes.

"Well, if your friends are all a bunch of grease monkeys then prove it," the Soldier demanded. "Tell them to come out."

"Not until you've lowered your gun," Bobbie claimed.

"Put away yours first, then we'll talk."

"No, we'll lower our weapons at the same time. Once the minute hand on my watch loops around once."

The Soldier eyed the watch curiously while Bobbie watched the minute hand go. When it reached 12 signaling the time to be 3:00, both men put away their weapons. Satisfied, Bobbie knocked on the boxes.

"It's okay, fellas," Bobbie said. "He's unarmed."

Using their Wrenches, which Bobbie had retrieved for them back at the Badlands, the Engineers broke out of the boxes and surrounded the Soldier. Feeling uncomfortable, the Soldier was about to reach for his Shotgun when Bobbie came between him and Theron who was holding the Southern Hospitality Wrench.

"This wasn't meant to be an ambush, I swear," Bobbie said to the Soldier. "They're just cranky after being trapped in boxes all day."

"Like caged animals," the Soldier said and laughed at his own joke. "At least you were being honest, Mister—

"Billows. Bobbie Billows."

"Brent."

While the two shook hands, the Engineers were stunned.

"Good thing you showed up in my truck by accident," the Soldier known as Brent said to the Engineers. "The people of Teufort don't particularly like Mercenaries, especially after what happened at Swiftwater."

"Can't exactly blame them," Brian of the Engineers shrugged.

"But it wasn't our fault," Theron insisted. "It was the Giant Robot who wreaked havoc!"

"Yet your grandfather activated the darn thing in the first place," Brent reminded. "If he hadn't, you wouldn't be in this situation right now."

"Don't you talk about my grandpa that way!" Theron snapped, holding the Southern Hospitality Wrench defensively. "Or I'll make you eat your words, Yankee!"

"Bring it on, grease monkey," Brent said reaching for his Shotgun. "My bullets are faster than _your_ wrench!"

Before the two could clash, Bobbie and Brian stood between them. The other Engineers were indifferent as they watched a series of negotiations happen. As they spoke, another truck was approaching them from the direction of the town. Recognizing it, Brent forced the Engineers to hide in the boxes once more while Bobbie turned invisible and sneaked into the passenger seat of Brent's car.

"Hey, Brent!" shouted a voice from the truck as it stopped behind Brent's. "What's the holdup? You were supposed to deliver the cargo thirty minutes ago."

"Sorry about that," Brent said, while Bobbie crouched below the passenger's seat next to him. "Thought something was wrong with my engine, so I pulled over to check on it."

"Did you find anything?" the voice asked.

"No."

"Good."

Then as the second truck pulled away, Brent followed.

###

Inside the city, which was a small cluster of buildings along a dirt street with barbed wire fences everywhere including around the town square where a marble statue of a man next to a horse stood, Brent dropped Bobbie and the Engineers into a large dumpster. He told them to wait there until he found suitable replacements for the cargo that was supposed to be delivered and not leave the dumpster for any reason.

"This is great!" Braze frowned. "First we get tossed into boxes and now we're literally sitting in trash. How can things get any worse from here?"

"When we have to face the Giant Robot," Blaze reminded him. "Course I don't know if that's going to happen. Dell's Day is approaching fast, and we're running out of time."

"Blaze is right," Baize agreed. "What should we do, Theron?"

"Wait here," Theron reluctantly said. "I don't trust this Brent feller, but he's clearly more familiar with the city than we are. So we have no choice but to hope he doesn't complicate things further for us."

"I don't think he will," Bobbie said, trying to sound comforting. "He's clearly considerate of others, and went through all this trouble to keep us from being found by the authorities. Who knows where we'd be if Brent hadn't shown up."

"Bobbie has a good point," Brian responded. "And it was his quick-thinking that got us out of the Badlands. Remember?"

Theron grumbled and sat cross-legged on the piles of trash bags while the others did the same. The smell was unbearable, but Bobbie and the Engineers endured it until the dumpster lid was lifted and Brent's familiar face appeared.

"Got the cargo situation taken care of," Brent explained as the Engineers crawled out with Bobbie following behind them. "Now let's take you boys to my place. You'll be safe there for the night, and my kids wouldn't mind the extra company."

To be continued…


	16. Chapter 16: Dell's Clones

Chapter 16: Dell's Clones

"Absolutely not!" A young woman stated folding her arms. She looked to be about fifteen with wavy blonde hair and blue eyes. "There's no room for these men. They'll have to sleep somewhere else."

Brent sighed heavily. "Sunny, I understand your concern. But it's only for one night."

"Yeah," agreed a younger boy with dark brown hair. "Don't be so stingy, Sis."

"That's what I was going to say, Blake!" shouted a little girl who looked exactly like Sunny only her hair was straight instead of wavy. "And besides, they kind of look like Clones from the stories Dad used to tell us."

"Tristan!" Sunny exclaimed. "You should be in bed by now."

"But I heard voices and wanted to see what was going on," Tristan whined.

"That doesn't matter," Sunny demanded. "Go to your room!"

"Fine," Tristan said walking away slowly.

"You too, Blake," Sunny said to the boy.

The boy known as Blake didn't move. "But—

"You've got school tomorrow, and I don't want to have to wake you up tomorrow."

"Aw, man," Blake complained as his shoulders slumped.

When he was out of the main room, Sunny was about to say something when Brent said, "I'll handle it from here."

Sunny's eyebrow raised. "You sure?"

"Positive," Brent stated.

Reluctantly, Sunny left the room while Brent made arrangements. While some of the Engineers would be sleeping in the living-room, the rest ended up in the basement. As for Bobbie, he was given a spot in the attic which had a low roof and not much space.

"Hope you sleep well," Brent said as he prepared to shut the attic door. "Goodnight, Bobbie!"

"G'night, Brent," Bobbie replied, then he asked, "By the way, where's your wife?"

Brent's head lowered.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Bobbie said once he realized the truth. "I didn't know she was—

"Dead? Of course not," Brent interrupted. "You wouldn't have known, anyway."

Then Brent closed the attic door, bathing the attic in darkness.

###

The following night, Brent left to attend a party that the Mayor of Teufort was holding and charged Sunny with the duty of watching Bobbie and the Engineers.

"Why should I have to watch them?" Sunny said to her father outside the house. "They're grown men, aren't they?"

"I know, but listen to me," Brent insisted. "If they leave this house for any reason, we'll be in a lot of trouble."

"Why's that?"

"I'll explain later. Just make sure they don't go anywhere, okay?"

"Sure."

After Brent drove away in his truck, Sunny went back into the house and saw the Engineers telling Blake and Tristan about their adventures.

"Sounds pretty crazy," Blake remarked. "But the Badlands Snipers trade with our town a lot, so they can't be that bad."

"That's what they want you to think, boy," Daran stated. "In reality, they're just a bunch of spineless cowards."

"Yeah, cowards!" Tristan cried.

"Stop that!" Sunny snapped, getting the Engineers' attention. "You're putting awful ideas into their heads!"

"Sorry, young lady," Brian assured. "We didn't mean to."

In response, Sunny groaned and grabbed a jacket.

"Where're you going, Sis?" Blake asked.

"Out," Sunny replied.

Then Blake could say anything, Sunny opened the front door and slammed it behind her.

"Should I go after her?" Bobbie said looking at Theron who was standing by a window that faced the Thunder Mountains.

Theron shook his head. "It was her choice to go."

"Maybe we should follow her example," Finley responded. "Since we're so close to Thunder Mountain, anyway."

"Now let's not do anything rash," Brian interjected. "It would be rude to leave our host abruptly without thanking him for his hospitality."

"But we can't stay here for too long!" Kinley said anxiously. "We need to get to Thunder Mountain by Dell's Day, or else we'll never find the hidden door."

"So you are the Clones from the legend!" Tristan squealed.

"What?" Theron turned to face Tristan, which made her cringe.

"I'll tell him," Blake offered, making Tristan sigh in relief. "There's been a rumor going around for some time that the Chief of Thunder Mountain will return."

"Where'd you hear this from?"

"People that dad knows."

"Are they Mercenaries?"

"I think so."

"Do you know where I can find them?"

"At the party my dad went to."

"And where's that?"

"In a big building, near the town square."

Smiling, Theron walked up to Blake and patted him on the head. "Thanks, kid."

Then Theron started walking toward the front door when Bobbie appeared in front of him.

"Going somewhere?" Bobbie asked.

"To the party," Theron replied.

"For what reason?"

"Brent may have given us a place to stay, but we're not getting anywhere until we get proper recognition from a certain someone."

"And that would be?"

"The Mayor, dummy!"

"Not sure if that's a good idea," Bobbie said doubtfully.

"Stay here if you want, but I'm going."

While Theron pushed past Bobbie, the other Engineers followed. As a result, Bobbie was unable to stop them from the leaving the house.

###

In a large ballroom with long tables and music playing from a jukebox, a short man sat on a decorated throne near the back. He wore a fancy suit, had short black hair that was balding, and a pencil thin mustache. Next to him stood Brent, who scanned the room carefully in his plain brown suit jacket and matching trousers. Then an unmasked Spy emerged from a side door adjusting the ruffles on his red tuxedo.

"Pardon me," the Spy said approaching Brent. "But you are standing in _my_ spot."

"I was just doing my job," Brent claimed as he stepped aside.

Turning his nose upward, the Spy took his place next to the short man while Brent walked away. When he was out of earshot, the Spy whispered, "Why do you let this sluggish simpleton guard you, Mayor? He doesn't know his place."

Hearing that, the Mayor made a slight nod.

Then all of a sudden, the doors to the ballroom suddenly opened revealing a small group of Engineers. Everyone stopped dancing to look at them.

"Howdy!" Theron said and waved his hand in a sweeping gesture. "I, the Chief of Thunder Mountain, have returned!"

To be continued…


	17. Chapter 17: Gideon, Swiftwater Captain

Chapter 17: Gideon, Captain of Swiftwater

"Is this some kind of joke?" The Mayor demanded. "Who are you to be addressing me in this fashion? Explain yourself!"

Taken aback by the Mayor's angry tone, Theron said, "I am Theron, grandson of Thorsen, who was the former Chief of Thunder Mountain before he died at Double Cross."

The Spy then broke out into laughs, causing the Mayor to look at him.

"You expect me to believe _that_?" The Spy said mockingly. "This is outrageous!"

"Come here and say that to my face, you snake," Theron said reaching for his Southern Hospitality Wrench.

"It would be my pleasure, _pardner._ " The Spy prepared to move, but was held back by the Mayor.

"Hold on, Antoine," the Mayor whispered to the Spy. Then he addressed Theron, "I don't appreciate upstarts like you in my presence. Now unless you have a legitimate reason to speak to me, then please leave."

"There are only two things I want, Mayor," Theron said as he cleared his throat. "Validation of my title and help reaching Thunder Mountain."

One of the Mayor's eyebrows rose up. "Why do you wish to go there?"

"To claim what's rightfully mine."

"That place is off-limits," Antoine stated. "Unless you plan to wake up the mechanical beast who slumbers there."

Theron gave Antoine a confused look. "I thought Robots didn't need to sleep."

"It's not exactly 'sleeping' so much as saving energy by remaining in a powered down state so the Australium Gold that powers it doesn't run out," Antoine clarified.

"That means more for us," Theron grinned. "So how bout it, Mayor? If you give me and my comrades safe passage to Thunder Mountain, I'll give you a share of the gold if we defeat the Giant Robot."

Hearing that, the Mayor's eyes lit up greedily along with Antoine's.

"I strongly object to this expedition!" Brent said loudly. When everyone's eyes fell on him, he explained, "If the Giant Robot is awakened, how do we know that he's not going to come down here and destroy Teufort the same way he destroyed Swiftwater?"

"Ah, yes, I forgot," Antoine said apologetically, though there wasn't a hint of sincerity to it. "You're descended from Captain Gideon, the Soldier who ran Swiftwater and died defending it to his last breath."

The Mayor clenched the sides of his chair in surprise. "Brent, is this true?"

After giving Antoine a brief glare, Brent nodded.

"Uh, about the request?" Theron interrupted. "Will you accept it?"

"Yes," the Mayor responded after a brief pause. "We shall grant you safe passage to Thunder Mountain and once I have received my share, I'll validate your title."

"Thanks, mister," Theron bowed. "I'll never forget your kindness."

###

That morning, a pair of large army vans appeared outside Brent's house where Theron and the other Engineers were standing. Bobbie stood behind them, looking up at Brent and his kids who were watching them from inside a window. But when Sunny's angry stare fell on him, Bobbie looked back at Theron who was negotiating some things with the drivers who were two Heavies wearing matching red hooded jackets.

"I thought we were going _all the way_ to Thunder Mountain!" Theron shouted angrily. "That was the deal I made with the Mayor!"

"Would not want to incur wrath of Giant Robot," said the Heavy on the right who had a long brown beard.

"So we drive you to base of mountain instead," responded the other who was clean-shaven.

"But in van there are supplies for travel," the first Heavy stated. "So you are well-prepared."

"Ugh!" Theron groaned then he turned to the Engineers and said, "What're you standing around for? It's time to saddle up!"

Cheering enthusiastically, the Engineers piled into the army vans which could hold eight people plus the drivers. Thus, the Engineers were split in half with Bobbie being the extra one.

"Um, Theron," Bobbie said before he got into the van. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Why d'you say that?" Theron turned to Bobbie, just as he was about to climb into the passenger's seat.

"Haven't you forgotten? Those guys who were chasing us."

"Guys? You mean the—

"Yeah."

"Oh, we'll be fine."

"No! They'll attack us for sure out there."

"Then what do you suggest? If we walk on foot, it'll take too long. This is quicker, and it would be rude to dismiss the Mayor's generosity."

On that final word, Theron got into the passenger's seat while Bobbie reluctantly climbed in with the other Engineers.

###

Outside the town, the two vans took a long dirt road that wound its way through the northern part of the desert and toward the mountains. Inside, the Engineers were talking about how they would spend their shares of the gold while Bobbie looked out the window and the ever-brightening blue sky. It brought him back to the skies he saw over Harvest, and was overcome by homesickness. There was a part of him that was wishing he had never gone on this Mission but another was excited to see what lay up ahead even if it seemed like certain doom. Bobbie's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden explosion which rocked the van.

"Whoa, what was that?" Bobbie asked.

"Tank!" the Heavy shouted, pointing off in the distance to their right.

Sure enough, there was a blue vehicle with several wheels and a cannon attached to the top.

"Holy crap!" Bobbie exclaimed. "I thought those were all destroyed after the Machine Wars were over!"

"Apparently not all of them," Theron muttered. Then he turned to the driver. "Can this thing go any faster?"

"Not much, but will try," the Heavy said, and put his foot on the gas pedal real hard.

The van jolted forward as the tank prepared to fire once more. This time, it aimed for the other one further back. The seven Engineers and Bobbie watched in horror as a loaded cannonball hit the side of the van causing it to roll over. Fortunately, the van corrected itself and then it made a sudden U-Turn back toward the town.

"Hey, what's he doing?" Bobbie said in a confused daze.

"Turning around," the Heavy stated. "It's too dangerous to go to mountain now. We should go back too."

"No way!" Theron insisted. "We've come too far to back down! I'll promise you a small share if necessary, but please get us to the mountain! It's the best way to honor our friends who won't be joining us!"

As the Heavy looked toward the Thunder Mountains and then back at Theron, he quietly said, "All right."

Pressing the gas pedal down harder, the Heavy managed to evade the Tank's shots by driving off the curved path and moving further away from it. That way, the Tank had a harder time shooting them and then when several blurred shapes appeared the Engineers took out their Wrenches. Bobbie had his Three-Rune Blade out and Theron the Southern Hospitality Wrench.

"Jump out now!" The Heavy shouted. "I will distract Robots away from you."

"But the moment we leave the van, they'll see us," Theron reminded him.

"Not if they think we're luggage," Bobbie said, holding up a large sleeping bag.

"Not again," Braze mumbled wearily.

To be continued…


	18. Chapter 18: In the Shadow of the Base

Chapter 18: In the Shadow of the Base

Once the Engineers were concealed inside the sleeping bags and packs, Bobbie unlocked the back doors and tossed them out before he wrapped himself in a large tarp. Throwing himself out, Bobbie hit the ground hard and tumbled aways from the van which swerved to avoid the incoming Robots. Ignoring the bags, the Scout Robots continued to follow the van while the Tank moved closer. There was gunfire and explosions that followed, but Bobbie and the Engineers kept perfectly still. Then after enough time had passed, Bobbie slowly removed himself from the tarp and looked to see a fire burning several miles away.

"What d'you see, Bobbie?" Braze asked. "Is it safe to come out?"

"Yeah," Bobbie said, sounding disheartened.

"Is something wrong?" Brian said as he emerged from a duffle bag.

"He didn't make it," Bobbie responded, pointing to the fire. "The Heavy, I mean."

"Darn," Neylan sighed. "He was a brave man."

"Indeed," Theron nodded. "Now let's get out of here before those Robots realize we're not in that van."

Taking the bags and the supplies they attached to themselves before leaping out, the Engineers and Bobbie marched toward the Thunder Mountains, which were much closer than before.

###

In a day and a half, the smaller company reached the foot of the mountain where the Base was located. Following an old trail Brian remembered, they ascended through burnt patches of forest and endured many thunderstorms that passed overhead. Among the few wildlife they saw, Bobbie was especially drawn to the small eagles and canaries who wore goggles on them.

"Glad to see some Eins are still around," Daran remarked.

"Eins?" Bobbie gave Daran a confused look.

"They're a type of canary that's served the Engineers for many generations," Brian explained. "And those eagles are Compatriots, which were friends of the Soldiers."

"Compatriot…isn't that the thing we're looking for to find the door?" Bobbie turned to Theron, who was staring up at a stray Compatriot.

"Right, so we'd better keep moving," Theron said. "If my calculations are correct, Dell's Day is in two days and we need to get to the water-tower before then."

While Theron went on ahead Neylan, Dylan, Gage, Daran, Brian, Braze, and Bobbie followed behind him.

###

As the sun was starting to set on the second day, Bobbie and the Engineers managed to reach the top of the plateau where the water-tower was located. From there, they could see the desolated Thunder Mountain Base which was completely scorched with overturned rail carts and train tracks. Though to their surprise, there was one building that was still intact.

"I bet that's where the Giant Robot is resting," Daran said. "Can't wait to tear that tin can apart."

"We're not going to fight it just yet, Daran," Theron replied. "We need to get a sense of the situation first, so we're going to send Bobbie through the hidden door and have him bring a piece of Australium Gold back as proof."

"Aw, jeez," Bobbie muttered. "Can never seem to get a break with you guys."

"But this is what we hired you to do," Brian reminded Bobbie. "You're our Scout, after all."

In response, Bobbie shrugged and noticed a Compatriot bird perched near the top of the water-tower. He pointed it out to Theron, who made a slight smile as the sun declined further. When the last rays of light hit the plateau, a single light fell upon a small spot just below the water-tower which Theron recognized as a keyhole. Taking out the key Gerald gave to him, Theron fit the key into the hole and turned it. Then to his surprise, the dirt underneath the water-tower lifted slightly revealing a trapdoor that was operated by various gears and pulleys.

"We did it, boys!" Theron exclaimed as the sun went down completely. He then turned to Bobbie and said, "We'll close the door after you've gone in. Don't hesitate to knock if need be."

"Okay," Bobbie said as he gathered his things and approached the open trapdoor.

Before Bobbie went in, Brian approached him and shook his hands. "I wish you good luck."

"Thanks," Bobbie nodded and stepped down into the trapdoor. "Be back in a flash."

The Engineers waved to him as he descended further down into the gathering darkness. When the trapdoor was closed, Bobbie was completely without light. Stumbling around, he felt for the edges of the tunnel and followed it in a downward spiral. Then at some point, the tunnel leveled out and Bobbie was able to walk more smoothly. Eventually, he came into a mining tunnel which led onto a bridge that was barely together. Taking a deep breath, Bobbie dashed across and was relieved when the bridge didn't collapse underneath him.

On the other side, he found an opening into the large building and stepped cautiously inside. What he saw was so amazing that it nearly made him collapse. All around were mounds of Australium Gold that touched the ceiling and covered the ground. He stepped on some of the pieces cautiously and picked up one that caught his eye. But as he did, a rumbling noise started. Looking beyond the mounds of gold, Bobbie noticed a large shape that was moving and realized it was the Giant Robot. Worried, Bobbie quickly left the building and ran back across the bridge.

###

At the water-tower, the Engineers had set up camp when they heard knocks coming from the trapdoor.

"Must be Bobbie," Theron said as he got up. "Didn't take as long as I thought he would."

Using the key again, Theron unlocked the door as it lifted up revealing a frightened-looking Bobbie who was clutching a piece of Australium Gold in his hand.

"It's…beautiful," Theron remarked as he took the Australium Gold from Bobbie. "Did the Giant Robot Pyro see you?"

Bobbie shook his head. "I don't think so, but he did stir."

Brian eyed Bobbie nervously. "Then if you had stuck around any longer…

"He might've had a chance to see me," Bobbie finished.

"We should lay low for the time-being," Brian suggested to Theron.

"No, I've got a plan," Theron argued. "All we have to do is send Bobbie to retrieve several gold pieces and bring them here."

"That's absurd! Do you realize how much gold is in that warehouse?"

"Enough for a king!"

"But you're no king, Theron."

"Then a Chief!"

"A Chief's duty is to look after his people, not send them on suicide missions for gold."

"Bobbie's not one of us, nor will he ever be!" Theron snapped, causing everyone to look at him. "I paid him to get my gold, and he's gonna do it!"

An awkward silence fell, causing Bobbie to feel ashamed.

"Something's not right with you, Theron," Gage observed. "Sure, you're stubborn and want to reclaim your birthright really badly but lately you've become obsessed with it. Almost like you're developing Merc's Weakness or something."

Hearing that, Theron stormed over to Gage and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "If you're implying that I'm acting like my grandpa, then can it!"

"Kay," Gage said as he started choking.

"Good," Theron said relaxing his grip.

He dropped Gage and ordered Bobbie to go back to the warehouse for another gold piece. Reluctantly, Bobbie descended back into the trapdoor which Theron closed behind him. It was around this time that the moon, which had shone on the same level as the sun was setting, began to rose higher bathing the ruins of Thunder Mountain in an eery light.

To be continued…


	19. Chapter 19: My Body is Steel

Chapter 19: My Body is Steel

As Bobbie approached the warehouse once more, he noticed the large shape was still there. Cautiously, he stepped onto the gold mounds but then the shape moved. Quickly, Bobbie activated the InvisWatch and hid behind the mound as a giant face appeared. It was a mechanical version of the Pyro mask with bright glowing eyes. Then from its mouth came a series of distorted grunts which were similar to the sounds Mumble made.

" _Com bak to stel agan, thef?_ (Come back to steal again, thief?)" the Giant Robot growled. " _I knu ur hidin somwhr!_ (I know you're hiding somewhere!)"

Bobbie said nothing as he attempted to sneak away, but his foot caused several gold pieces to move which caught the Robot's attention.

" _Tryn tu escape?_ (Trying to escape?)" A large robot hand came down causing the warehouse to rumble. " _If u do, I'll crus u myself!_ (If you do, I'll crush you myself!)"

"Uh, no, not at all, Great Pyro," Bobbie said, standing perfectly still. "I merely came to…see if you truly were as intimidating as the legends say."

" _Thn why did u steel?_ (Then why did you steal?)" asked the Giant Robot.

"My intention was not to steal, but merely to admire the gold you've…accumulated over the years," replied Bobbie, watching as the InvisWatch's power drained rapidly.

" _This isno ordinary gold, mindu. Its Australum, an is the only thin thats keeping me alive_ (This is no ordinary gold, mind you. It's Australium, and is the only thing that's keeping me alive)," Pyro said grumpily. " _An I didn 'accumlate' this gold somuchas 'borow' it from the Enginers wo use to liv here_ (And I didn't 'accumulate' this gold so much as 'borrow' it from the Engineers who used to live here)."

"Yeah, I heard the same thing actually," Bobbie agreed as he dashed over to a nearby mound of gold as the InvisWatch's effect wore off.

Pyro paused and then said, " _Ur not a very god lar, but I'm curius abut u. Wold u car to introduce urself?_ (You're not a very good liar, but I'm curious about you. Would you care to introduce yourself?)"

"I'm, ah, from the plains," Bobbie said, turning invisible as Pyro's head peeked over the mound he was hiding behind. "Across these plains of grass, I roam unseen. There are some who call me Bombwinner, others say Luckbringer, and a few refer to me as Railcart-Rider."

" _Veri wel, then, Bomwiner, Lucbringr, an Ralcrt-Ridr, where istha pice of gold u stol from me not to lon ago?_ (Very well, then, Bombwinner, Luckbringer, and Railcart-Rider, where is that piece of gold you stole from me not too long ago?)"

"I don't…have it with me, right now. But if you want I'll—

" _Did u selit somwher? Oh, wat, there's nobdi around her exepthe bons of thEnginers who dedin van tryn tostopme from aquirn their precus gold. Then logicallythat mens its on ur person, an ur just lyon again_ (Did you sell it somewhere? Oh, wait, there's nobody around here except the bones of the Engineers who died in vain trying to stop me from acquiring their precious gold. Then logically that means it's on your person, and you're just lying again)."

"Hey, I'm no liar!" Bobbie snapped, and looked down at the InvisWatch. "If you must know, my friends have it and they're here to get revenge!"

It was then that Pyro made a horrible sounding laugh which shook the entire warehouse and moved some of the mounds slightly. Among them, Bobbie noticed a gold piece shaped like Saxton Hale and picked it up just as he dashed over to another mound. When he hid behind that, the InvisWatch wore off and Pyro resumed looking around.

" _U mus be jokn, Car-Ridr! Th Chef is dead and hiskin are algon! An even iftheydid somehow manage to com bak, they'l havto con ten with me! Mybodi is made ofstel, my eyes r sharp, my hands r boldrs, myfet r mountns, an mywepons r tp-ntch including mysgnature Flme Thrwer!_ (You must be joking, Cart-Rider! The Chief is dead and his kin are all gone! And even if they did somehow manage to come back, they'll have to contend with me! My body is made of steel, my eyes are sharp, my hands are boulders, my feet are mountains, and my weapons are top-notch including my signature Flame Thrower!)"

A loud creaking noise occurred as Pyro reached for something that was tucked behind two mounds. It was a gigantic Backburner Flame Thrower that was colored red with a painted on face resembling a serpent's mouth.

"Isn't it true though that a Robot's head is its weak point?" Bobbie asked.

Pyro scoffed. " _Suchis not thcas forme! Ovrthyers, Ive reenforced my hedwith Australum Gold platen so nothn can gethru itnow!_ (Such is not the case for me! Over the years, I've reinforced my head with Australium Gold plating so nothing can get through it now!)"

As Pyro turned his head, Bobbie noticed a large section of it was now gold colored. But what intrigued him more was a small gap between the Australium plating and the regular steel plating. Through it, Bobbie saw a hint of wires and realized he was staring at Pyro's brain.

"Well, I'll…take your word for it, but I've got to get going," Bobbie replied, measuring the distance between him and the bridge.

" _Ur a fol if u think u can getaway so easly!_ (You're a fool if you think you can get away so easily!)" Pyro said, and flipped a switch which caused the Flame Thrower to turn on.

Then as a sweeping wall of fire came toward Bobbie, he made a mad dash for the bridge and got to the other side just before it was completely scorched by the flames. On the other side, Bobbie was shocked to see Theron and the other Engineers.

"What're you guys doing here?" Bobbie asked. "We've got to run, or Pyro will burn us alive! I think I pissed him off."

"Just what we were going to do," Theron said, patting Bobbie on the shoulder. "But you just made things easier for us."

Unable to say anything, Bobbie watched Theron approach the edge of the bridge where the flames barely touched.

"Hey, tin can!" Theron shouted. "I've got a bone to pick with you!"

The roof of the warehouse collapsed as Pyro stood up. " _Whodars to adresme insucha maner?_ (Who dares to address me in such a manner?)"

"Theron, the new Chief of Thunder Mountain, and the one who's gonna take you down!"

" _Folish human! Id like to seeu try!_ (Foolish human! I'd like to see you try!)"

To be continued…


	20. Chapter 20: Pyro and Emu Bush

Chapter 20: Pyro and Emu Bush

As Pyro prepared to fire his Flame Thrower once more, the Engineers took out their Wrenches while Bobbie unsheathed the Three-Rune Blade. Then without hesitation, the company jumped off the bridge to the dirt-covered ground below. Above them, Pyro's flames engulfed the other side of the bridge causing fiery planks to rain down. Running away, Bobbie and the Engineers managed to avoid the debris altogether. Meanwhile, Pyro's legs creaked as they moved causing several mounds of gold to crumble.

"I see age hasn't been kind to you, Pyro," Theron smirked. "You're all rusted and broken!"

Pyro's eyes flashed angrily.

"Aw, did I make you mad?" Theron said mockingly.

" _Silenc!_ (Silence!)" Pyro shouted and turned the Flame Thrower on.

This forced Bobbie and the Engineers to retreat into another tunnel that was underneath the remains of a building. Seeing them go, Pyro lowered the Flame Thrower to the tunnel's level.

" _U mai b smal, but u cant hid forevr!_ (You may be small, but you can't hide forever!)" When he heard no reply, Pyro allowed the Flame Thrower to unleash its full fury.

He listened for the screams of dying Engineers, but there was silence instead. Confused, he turned the Flame Thrower off and looked inside. Pitch blackness greeted him, and then he saw several small shapes making their way across an iron bridge beyond the rubble.

" _Tryn to escape, eh?_ (Trying to escape, eh?)" Pyro slowly walked toward the bridge with the Flame Thrower in hand. " _Ani las words before Ifri ur buns to a crisp?_ (Any last words before I fry your buns to a crisp?)"

"Only one," Theron said as he and the others reached the other side. "Watch your step!"

Not heeding Theron's warning, Pyro stepped onto the bridge which started to wobble under his weight. Then before he had anytime to react, the bridge collapsed underneath him sending him down into the valley below. There was an earth-shattering _thud_ and then silence. While the Engineers cheered triumphantly, Bobbie noticed a fire was starting to spread as Pyro's Flame Thrower was turned on before he fell. Seeing it, the Engineers watched as Pyro emerged from the trees and stood over them.

" _Itll take mor than that to bet me_ (It'll take more than that to beat me)," Pyro said triumphantly.

Raising his right hand, Pyro scanned the Engineers before deciding to send it down on Braze. Quickly, Bobbie grabbed Braze and dragged him into the pine trees next to a rocky cliff. The other Engineers did the same as Pyro prepared to do the same to them. Then while Pyro turned on his infrared scanners, the Engineers and Bobbie stood perfectly still behind the trees.

" _If I cant find u, then Ill havto smoke u out!_ (If I can't find you, then I'll have to smoke you out!)" Pyro said as he grabbed his Flame Thrower from the burning valley.

But as he picked it up, something caught his eye. Looking southward, Pyro noticed a small cluster of lights in the distance.

" _Izzat…Tufort Citi?_ (Is that…Teufort City?)" Pyro remarked. " _Ithas tobe! Thradio transmisons Ivebenn herring wercomin from this directon. Mayb I shod pay them a litlvisit_ (It has to be! The radio transmissions I've been hearing were coming from this direction. Maybe I should pay them a little visit)."

Then as Pyro moved steadily down the valley, Bobbie was about to scale the cliff but Theron held him back.

"You want him to see us, boy?" Theron said in an angry whisper.

"But…if we don't stop him…" Bobbie struggled to say as he fought back tears. "Everyone in Teufort will die, including our friends!"

"There's nothing we can do for them now," Theron responded somberly. "Except pray that they'll make it out alive."

###

Back in Teufort, the remaining Engineers were holed up at Brent's house after sustaining injuries from the Robot Attack several days ago. While Brent was out searching for Rüdiger the Mad, who apparently served as the town's doctor, Sunny was busy treating the Engineer's wounds with Tristan and Blake assisting her.

"What's taking Daddy so long?" Tristan asked as she was laying wet bandages out to dry. "He should be back soon."

"Yes," Sunny agreed, washing bandages in the kitchen sink.

"Um, Sis?" Blake said, carrying some blood-stained bandages in his hands. "You might want to look outside."

Irritably, Sunny looked out the window above the sink and saw a growing light near one of the Thunder Mountains. But as she continued to stare at it, a dark shape appeared and obscured the light completely.

"What is it?" Tristan said, noticing the nervous look on her sister's face.

"I don't know," Sunny replied. "It looks like…fire, but there's something else too."

"Ooh, can I see?" Blake said excitedly.

After cleaning her hands, Sunny lifted Blake up slightly and showed him to the window. He saw the black shape and became scared.

"That's Pyro!" Blake exclaimed. "He's heading this way!"

"No, that can't be it," Sunny denied. "He's been inactive for years. There's no way he should be able to leave Thunder Mountain and come down here."

"Unfortunately, your brother is right," Brent said, appearing in the kitchen doorway.

"Daddy!" Tristan cried, hugging Brent around the waist. "Did you find the crazy doctor guy?"

Brent shook his head. "No, but I found someone else."

Behind Brent appeared Tallara, who looked pale and tired. This caught Finley's attention, who was the least injured of the group apart from Blaze.

"What's a Sniper doing here?" Finley demanded, reaching for his Wrench.

"She's well-versed in Aborigines medicine and wants to help us," Brent explained.

"Are you kidding me?" Finley said doubtfully. "She's one of the Snipers who captured me and my colleagues back in the Badlands!"

Surprised, Brent turned to Tallara. "Is this true?"

Reluctantly, Tallara nodded. "But I'm not here to—

" _Boom!_ " shouted a familiar voice as a Robot Scout came crashing in through the living-room window wielding a Force-A-Nature gun. " _I'm back, dummies!_ "

"I remember you," Baize said, pointing a bruised finger at the Robot Scout. "You're Alclad's Second-in-Command, Bolt!"

" _Bingo!_ " the Robot Scout responded. " _Now you get the chance to die first!_ "

"Thanks for standing still," said Matthias as he impaled Bolt through the chest with a Kukri Knife. "You're the best target I've hit so far."

" _Oh, yeah?_ " Bolt mocked, turning his head completely around. " _Then you're in for a treat!_ "

Using his metal arms, Bolt was able to immobilize Matthias who attempted to retract the knife. Unfortunately, the knife was deeply lodged in and couldn't be removed. So Matthias kicked Bolt, but that only made him move closer as the Robot's arms still clenched his shoulders.

"Oi," Matthias said. "You want to see something funny?"

The Robot's eyes didn't blink as Matthias briefly closed his mouth and produced a wad of spit. It hit one of Bolt's eyes causing him to cry out in pain and let go. This allowed Matthias to grab the knife and kick Bolt down as he pulled the blade out. Sparks flew as Bolt was clutching his left eye and then he leaped over a nearby fence prompting Matthias to follow.

Inside, Brent led his children and the Engineers into the basement while Tallara considered following Matthias. In the end, she chose not to and followed Brent into the basement. Down there Brent was laying Kinley, Oage, Olan, and Baize on the cold floor.

"This feels like a tomb," Kinley muttered. "Am I dead?"

Concerned, Tallara felt his forehead and examined the giant scar on his chest which was swollen.

"He's got a high fever going on and his wound's infected," Tallara stated. Then she turned to Brent. "Do you have any Eucalyptus Oil or Emu Bush lying around?"

"We have Eucalyptus Oil, but no Emu Bush," Brent answered. "My wife used to grow them, before she died."

"Then I take it you don't have fresh ones?" When Brent shook his head, Tallara looked toward the Engineers. "Who among you is well enough to walk?"

"I am," Blaze said, holding a bandaged hand up.

"Bring me some Emu Bush from out there," Tallara said, pointing to the basement window. "You'll recognize them by the magenta flowers they produce. Understand?"

Before Blaze could respond, Finley interrupted. "Wait, how's a bush going to help my brother?"

"It'll clean his wound of infection," Tallara said.

Finley looked doubtful. "How do we know you're telling the truth?"

"Why would I lie to you about something like this? Sure, I'm not a professional doctor but my knowledge of Aboriginal medicine is excellent."

"Sure, but didn't your leader send you and your boyfriend to get us back?"

Tallara sighed. "First of all, Matthias is _not_ my boyfriend. Second, your brother's very sick and if we don't get him the proper medicine soon he'll die."

This made Finley go silent.

"Now go," Tallara said to Blaze. "And be quick about it!"

"Sure thing, ma'am," Blaze responded and headed for the basement window.

###

While Blaze was searching for Emu Bush, Tallara explained to the other Engineers that she had been sent to retrieve them but had gone beyond the Badlands' territory without permission thus making her a traitor according to Jarrah's laws.

"I'm guessing Matthias was ordered to kill me, but since he didn't I don't know why he showed up," Tallara said as she attempted to answer a question Olan posed.

"Maybe he was going to persuade you to come back with him peacefully," Sunny suggested. "He seems to like you based on what you've described."

"Yes, he has made his feelings clear," Tallara admitted. "But I'm not sure if I like him back."

It was then that Kinley's eyes fluttered open and he found himself gazing at Tallara through a hazy vision. She noticed him looking and asked something but her words were muffled. He tried to speak but a sharp pain shot from his chest. Groaning, Kinley cringed as Tallara spoke to someone and there were footsteps followed by a loud shutting noise. Next, there were rubbing sounds and a soft humming which seemed to brighten Kinley's spirits.

He looked up and realized the humming was coming from Tallara whose hands were green and her face was drawing ever closer. This made Kinley's heart skip a little as he felt something being rubbed on his chest that was sharp at first but ultimately soothing. Then as his vision cleared, he noticed something sticking out of Tallara's vest and recognized it as Teddy Roosebelt.

 _She kept the bear_ , Kinley thought as his vision started fading. _Does that mean she's…_

Seeing him pass out, Tallara pressed her hand against Kinley's forehead and smiled. "He's resting now. The fever should be over by the time he wakes up."

Then while Tallara went to work treating the other Engineers' wounds, Sunny and Tristan helped her while Brent and Blake watched. Outside the town, Matthias was still chasing after Bolt who despite being wounded was able to outrun him. A sudden tremor caught Matthias' attention and he looked toward the mountain where a lumbering figure was moving slowly toward the town.

" _Holy crap!_ " Bolt said as he stopped abruptly. " _That's a Giant Robot Pyro! My boss will be so thrilled when he hears about this!_ "

"Aw, no you don't!" Matthias said withdrawing his bow and loading an arrow into it. "You'll be dead before that happens."

" _Try and shoot me, chucklehead!_ " Bolt taunted and ran off.

Matthias shot several arrows at him, but each one was a few inches from the target. Dismayed, he cursed at himself before looking at the Giant Robot.

"Tallara…" Matthias muttered, and headed back to Teufort.

To be continued…


	21. Chapter 21: Fire and Dirt

Chapter 21: Fire and Dirt

As the Giant Robot Pyro approached Teufort, it wasted no time and set several houses on fire with its Flame Thrower. This caused people to run out into the streets which caught Pyro's attention and he incinerated them as well. Their cries carried into the basement of Brent's house where everyone was resting for the time-being.

"What's going on up there?" Oage wondered out loud.

"I'm not sure," Brent answered.

He walked to the basement window and looked outside. Though it didn't reveal much, the flames were hard to miss and a black shadow seemed to be moving ever closer.

"Hey, Sniper," Brent said to Tallara. "You have sharp eyes, right?"

"Yeah," Tallara nodded.

"Can you tell me what that thing is in the distance?"

"Sure, and my name is Tallara not 'Sniper.'"

"Sorry."

Satisfied, Tallara left Kinley's side and stood next to Brent. She stared at the black shadow and her eyes widened.

"It's that Giant Robot we saw earlier," Tallara said nervously.

"Pyro," Brent growled. "He'll destroy the whole town if he isn't stopped."

"But what can we do?" Tallara asked. "That thing is too big to take down with just a Shotgun or a handful of arrows. We need something more powerful, like a Sapper or—

"A Rocket Launcher," Brent interrupted and rushed over to a wooden chest next to the pantry.

Curious, Tallara followed him over and watched Brent open the chest up. Taking something from it, Brent closed the chest and turned to face Tallara. She and the Engineers were shocked to see Brent holding a Rocket Launcher in his hands that was green with wooden handles and a white U. S. Army symbol on the leaf sight.

"Is that the Liberty Launcher you were referring to?" Baize's hand shook nervously.

"Yes," Brent said reluctantly. "It originally belonged to Gideon, my grandfather, who was able to wound the Giant Robot with one rocket from this weapon before he died."

Checking the back part of the Rocket Launcher, Brent sighed.

"Something wrong?" Finley said, noticing the distressed look on Brent's face.

"There were supposed to be three rockets left in here, but there are none," Brent explained. "Either someone took them, or they're somewhere in the attic."

"I'll check," Blake said, causing his sisters and Brent to look at him. "I'm small enough to fit up there, and faster than you, Dad."

"No," Brent objected. "It would be too risky. With the Giant Robot setting houses on fire left and right, ours could be next and you might die if I send you up there."

"It won't take me that long," Blake insisted. "And I want to help instead of sitting here and doing nothing. My sisters have done more than I have!"

"He's got a point," Sunny said. "But I agree with Dad on this one. So I'll go instead."

"But we're helping the Sniper lady," Tristan said holding Sunny's hand tightly. "Blake needs to do something useful. Right, Daddy?"

Brent looked from his youngest daughter to his son, whose face was determined and proud. Seeing himself in the young boy, Brent knelt down and held Blake's shoulders.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?" Brent said sternly.

Without hesitation, Blake nodded.

Unable to say anything against it, Brent got up and ascended the basement stairs. He listened really hard and looked down at Blake.

"When I give the signal, I'll open the door and you run as fast as possible," Brent said quietly to Blake. "Got it?"

"I think so," Blake responded.

Upstairs, Blake heard nothing except the occasional _thud_ the Robot's feet made. So he motioned his son to come up as he proceeded to unlock the basement door. The boy ran past him and went through the living-room till he came to the attic staircase. Unfortunately, the rope to pull the stairs down was too high for him. Hearing the roaring flames, Blake looked around for a pole and came across a stick Tristan had brought in earlier to use as a sword. Picking it up, the boy was able to latch the stick onto the rope. He then proceeded to pull the stairs down which nearly hit him. At around this time, the _thuds_ became louder.

Nervously, Blake ran up the stairs into the attic and searched all the boxes. While most of them contained old books and toys Sunny never played with, he found one chest that was similar to the one in the basement. Opening it, Blake gazed upon three metal rockets that were nestled in old straw. Quickly, he picked them up and made his way down the stairs. He almost fell when a _thud_ caused the entire house to shake, but miraculously stayed on. Then he got down with the rockets intact and went to the basement door which was locked.

"I've got the rockets!" Blake shouted.

In a split second, the door was opened and his father let him in just as the house shook again.

"Pyro must be near," Brent guessed as he took the rockets from Blake's hands.

"What're you going to do?" Olan asked as Brent loaded the rockets into the Liberty Launcher.

"I'm going to destroy that Giant Robot once and for all," Brent said holding the Rocket Launcher up in his two hands. "If I don't come back, take care of my kids for me."

Then with that said, he made his way back up the stairs and went through the basement door.

"Daddy!" Tristan cried, but was held back by Sunny as the door was shut.

###

Outside, Pyro was about to set another house on fire when he saw a small figure standing at the very top of it.

" _Dos this human hav a dethwish or ishe tryn to get myattentn?_ (Does this human have a death wish or is he trying to get my attention?)" Pyro asked to no one. Then he shrugged. " _Owel, bestofri him lik the others_ (Oh, well, best to fry him like the others)."

Before he got the chance to unleash the Flame Thrower's fury on the house, a black thing came flying at him and hit one of Pyro's eyes. Seeing Pyro cry out in pain, Brent was about to aim the second rocket when a Compatriot bird landed on his shoulder. It whispered something in his ear before flying off into the night.

"Aim for the back of its head, eh?" Brent said, watching Pyro struggle to pick the Flame Thrower back up. "Let's see if it likes fireworks."

Aiming for the Flame Thrower, Brent fired the second rocket at it. A huge explosion followed, knocking Pyro backwards. Unfortunately, he didn't fall but was now clutching his other eye as a piece of metal from the Flame Thrower got caught. Now blind and angry, Pyro began smashing his fists, but they couldn't hit their target. Meanwhile, Brent saw Pyro turn around and noticed a Australium Gold plate.

"That must be where my grandfather punctured him before," Brent muttered as he stared at the obvious hole in the plating. "Reboot in robot hell, you tin savage!"

Hearing the cry, Pyro started to turn his head but it was too late as the third rocket hit the hole and passed through into his brain. Sparks flew as the Giant Robot's head exploded and he tumbled down Teufort's main street crushing the Mayor's statue beneath him. After a few seconds passed, the ominous ticking that had followed Pyro before now ceased and the roar of flames and people's screams were all that remained. Lowering the Liberty Launcher, Brent turned from the Robot to the Thunder Mountains where the flames were still spreading.

"Is this what you wanted, Theron?" Brent said. "I thought you were better than your grandfather, but it seems I was wrong. Now you'll have to pay for the consequences of _your_ greed which cost so many lives!"

Then as the flames drew closer to his home, Brent made his way back into the house through the attic window and down into the basement. There, he told his family to pack essential items and evacuate the house while the Engineers and Tallara did the same. Once this was done, they made their way down a street of burning houses until they met up with a group of people that were heading out of town. They were being led by Matthias, which surprised Tallara though he didn't seem to notice her, and several other Badlands Snipers that had shown up.

To be continued…


	22. Chapter 22: Edges of the Desert

Chapter 22: Edges of the Desert

By the time dawn arrived, the city of Teufort was reduced to ashes and charred ruins. Meanwhile, the survivors were resting in the shade of a canyon wall guarded by several Snipers. The Engineers were immediately regarded with suspicion and though Tallara attempted to bargain for their freedom they were about to be taken away when Jarrah appeared in a sleigh driven by three reindeer and a kangaroo with a red nose and a fake antler.

"Jarrah," one of the Snipers said. "Thank goodness you're here! We caught the Engineers who escaped from your dungeon."

"They were aided by this family," another Sniper said, gesturing to Brent and his children who were surrounded by two other Snipers. "What shall we do with them?"

At first, Jarrah said nothing as he emerged from his sleigh. He noticed Tallara standing near the Engineers, and Matthias scanning the desert nearby.

"Matthias!" Jarrah barked.

Jumping, Matthias ran toward the gathering and knelt before his father.

"I thought I told you to kill that woman," Jarrah said, pointing to Tallara.

"There was a Robot Scout who stood in my way, so I had to take care of him first," Matthias explained, trying to sound calm.

"Was this Robot a member of the group you eliminated from the train?"

"Yes, and I learned he was Bolt, the Second-in-Command of the legion of Robots once commanded by Alclad the Destroyer."

"But he's been dead for several years."

"Apparently not, and I was unable to destroy Bolt for good."

"What stopped you?"

"Pyro, who was heading for Teufort at the time."

"Right, like you said in the message sent by your owl friend." As Jarrah spoke, the owl known as Sir Hootsalot peeked out from underneath his jacket. "Now why did you fail to kill Tallara _after_ you weren't able to destroy Bolt?"

"The people of Teufort were struggling to evacuate the town, so I helped them."

"I see." Jarrah then made his way over to Tallara when Kinley blocked him.

"This has nothing to do with you, Engineer," Jarrah said looking down at the weary and bandaged man who stood before him. "Now stand aside."

"No way, squatter!" Kinley said. "I won't let you hurt her!"

"Why is that?"

"Because…" Kinley looked up at Tallara and immediately turned away.

"So that's how it is," Jarrah said mockingly. Then he addressed the other Engineers. "You have two options: either you give yourselves up for the crime of aiding in the destruction of Teufort or go to your comrades in Thunder Mountain and ask them to help these people establish a new home. The choice is yours."

"And what gives you the right to decide that?" Brent snapped. "Shouldn't the Mayor of Teufort have a say in the matter?"

"He is dead," Antoine said, causing Brent to glare at him. "His house was set on fire, and was unable to get out of it."

"So who's in charge now?" Brent said sarcastically. "Is it you?"

Antoine looked surprised. "I'm…not sure, actually. The Mayor never told me who his successor would be, and any documentation that may have answered this is probably up in flames at this point. But this doesn't mean that anyone can now take charge! We must hold an election for a new Mayor as soon as possible."

"For once, I agree with you," Brent said and turned to Jarrah. "But for now, our fates lie in Jarrah's hands."

Jarrah's eyebrow lifted slightly. "You speak very humbly for a man descended from a great leader. Was it your humility that led you to help the Engineers, despite knowing what they were going to do?"

Brent sighed and said, "I had only intended to give them shelter for the night and a means to get to Thunder Mountain, but it was _not_ my intention to claim a portion of the gold for myself or for them to somehow awaken the Giant Robot, assuming that's what happened."

"Then do you think they're still alive?"

"If the flames didn't kill them, then yes, but I find that highly unlikely."

For a moment, Jarrah looked between Brent and his children who were very scared and yet close to their father. He briefly glanced at Matthias, and then said to the Snipers, "Release the Soldier and his family."

Obediently, the Snipers backed away. While Brent and Antoine discussed an election, the Engineers including Kinley talked among themselves. Tallara watched them while Matthias crept up behind her. She immediately heard him and put a knife up to his throat. This made the other Snipers reach for their bows when Jarrah held up his hand.

"Hold your fire," Jarrah said as he faced Matthias and Tallara. "I would like to propose a dangerous Mission that will require the both of you to work together. If it's accomplished successfully, your failures will be looked over."

The two Snipers looked at each other, and then Tallara asked, "What kind of Mission?"

In response, Jarrah pointed east of the Thunder Mountains. "Ever heard of Gravel Pit?"

"That was the furthest Area Thorsen controlled back when he was still alive," Matthias said. "Only Ein birds occupy it now."

"Not anymore," Jarrah responded, causing the Engineers to look over their shoulders. "Antoine tells me that Robots have been sighted going toward that place for the past few days. I want you two to confirm this and report back as soon as possible."

"Sounds easy enough," Tallara said. "I could probably do it without Matthias."

"Sorry, but that won't happen," Matthias reminded her. "Either we both go or the deal is off."

Growling under her breath, Tallara said, "Fine, then let's go."

As Matthias prepared to leave, Tallara walked up to Kinley with the teddybear in hand. He immediately noticed and broke away from the other Engineers who were also preparing to go.

"Um, Kinley, was it?" Tallara said nervously.

"Yeah?" Kinley replied, though he too was nervous.

"I never got the chance to give this back to you." Tallara thrust the bear at Kinley as she spoke. "It wasn't mine to take, and it's your mother's, so—

"Don't bother," Kinley said. "I meant what I said back in the Badlands, so keep it to remember me by in case we never see each other again."

With nothing to say, Tallara clutched Teddy Roosebelt and walked away to prepare herself for the journey ahead. Eventually, the two groups went their separate ways with Tallara and Matthias heading east toward the Gravel Sea while the Engineers followed the trail of Pyro's destruction to Thunder Mountain. As the day progressed, an election was held to decide the next Mayor. To Antoine's surprise, many people voted for Brent but he declined.

"I'm not ready to lead anybody," Brent said. "But I do plan to head for the ruins of Swiftwater. It's the only place I know of that has some shelter available and with enough work it can be patched into a suitable living place. Those who wish to follow me can, otherwise find somewhere else either with Antoine or Jarrah."

"Though I'm willing to provide help for these townsfolk, it is not my decision to decide where they go," Jarrah objected.

When everyone turned to Antoine, his face turned red. "I don't have any…ideas at the moment, so Brent's plan seems like the best option so far."

Everyone agreed with this and decided to make the long journey to Swiftwater. Meanwhile, Jarrah told his Sniper escorts to send more men from the Badlands as he was planning to take the Crocodile Smile necklace from Thunder Mountain now that Pyro was dead. Further south, an army of Robots was marching from an Area dominated by a large rocket that was set to lift off with one Medic tied to it.

To be continued…


	23. Chapter 23: Keepers of the Badge

Chapter 23: Keepers of the Badge

"How did I get myself into this mess?" Gerald muttered to himself as he once again attempted to free himself from the ropes that tied him to the rocket that was about to launch. "First, Rüdiger and I went to find Doe's grave. Then we get attacked by more human-looking Robots, and follow them to the Doomfist Area where we figured the Mastermind might be. But as it turns out, the Mastermind was really a manifestation of Gray Mann's spirit and yet despite his lack of physical form he was able to overpower me so easily. It's a good thing I sent Rüdiger to bring Saxton and the Administrator here. I just hope they get here on time."

Looking around, Gerald saw no sign of them and was frozen stiff when a floating eyeball started heading toward him. It was brown on the outside with a red iris. But instead of a black pupil, a menacing face stared back at Gerald.

" ** _Time is almost up, Gerald,_** " the face in the floating eyeball said. " ** _Now before this rocket launches and you inevitably die in space, I thought I would take your Operation Oil Spill Badge as a memento of sorts._** "

As the eyeball leered at the bronze eagle-shaped badge on Gerald's breast-pocket, a sudden blast of energy threw him off-guard. Angered, he looked down and saw three figures standing on the launchpad. One was Rüdiger, with the decayed half of his face frowning, the other was the Administrator who was wearing a silver eagle-shaped badge on her breast-pocket, while the third was Saxton Hale who was brandishing a larger shinier version of the one the Administrator wore.

" ** _It seems the keepers of the Operation Steep Trap and Gear Grinder Badges are here as well,_** " the eyeball said looking at the Administrator and Saxton respectfully. When he turned to Rüdiger, the eyeball seemed puzzled. " ** _And who might you be?_** "

This caused the decayed half of Rüdiger's face to cringe angrily. " ** _Schweinhund (pig-dog)! I am Rüdiger ze Mad, and anyone who forgets that vill perish!_** "

Hearing that, the eyeball laughed maniacally. " ** _Such empty words coming from a man who struggles with himself!_** "

"Oh, yeah? Then answer to my fists, Monoculus!" Saxton Hale shouted as he leaped in the air toward the floating eyeball.

Quickly, the eyeball moved out of the way causing Saxton to accidentally puncture the rocket which exploded. This sent Gerald flying into the air and the Administrator immediately caught him mid fall.

"Fraulein…" Gerald said, speechless. "You saved me."

"Only because you forgot to fly," the Administrator said, landing on a nearby building with her heels intact.

"Ah, yes, I did," Gerald admitted sheepishly.

"Then you'll be pleased to know that I retrieved the things the Monoculus stole from you!" Merasmus said as he suddenly appeared next to Gerald and the Administrator.

"Took you long enough," the Administrator said, lighting a cigarette.

"I was preoccupied with…other matters," Merasmus replied cryptically. "Now I'm ready to do battle against the Monoculus, which I sensed before coming here."

"Then why couldn't you sense it earlier?" Gerald demanded as he took his Freedom Staff, Medi Gun, and Amputator Saw from Merasmus' hands.

"The Monoculus deliberately hid itself from my sight, making it hard for me to sense the thing properly," Merasmus explained. "Yet after Pyro's passing, the interference stopped and thus I was able to find the Monoculus more quickly."

"The Giant Robot Pyro is dead?" Gerald was taken aback by the news.

"Yes, though I'm not sure how or why," Merasmus said and teleported over to where Saxton and Rüdiger were attacking the Monoculus consecutively.

 _There's something he's not telling me_ , Gerald thought as he took out the Bombinomicon.

Aiming it at the Monoculus, Gerald threw the Bombinomicon at the floating eyeball which exploded and reformed inside his coat-pocket. Angered, the Monoculus attempted to attack him but Gerald electrocuted the eyeball with his Freedom Staff. Stunned, the Monoculus was now vulnerable to Saxton Hale as he beat the floating eyeball senselessly. Meanwhile, the Administrator watched with amusement next to Gerald while Rüdiger was arguing with himself back on the launchpad. Then as a final insult, Saxton crushed the Monoculus and threw it in a southern direction. A few seconds later, there was silence and then suddenly all the power lines in Doomsday exploded.

"What's going on?" The Administrator was standing close enough to a power line which caused her to get zapped and fall to the ground.

"Administrator!" Gerald cried, and took out his Medi Gun. "Let me heal you."

"No, your medicine won't cure me completely," the Administrator said wearily. "I must return to Gullywash and repair my Life Extender Machine."

"Then I shall take you back," Merasmus said, appearing before the Administrator. "After that, I shall destroy the Monoculus once and for all!"

Before Gerald could ask him further, Merasmus picked up the Administrator and vanished.

"So…did we win?" Saxton asked, scratching his head.

"I'm not sure," Gerald replied once he was safely on the ground again. "The exploding power lines implies that the Monoculus isn't completely destroyed, hence why Merasmus left to deal with it, but I believe Gray Mann is weakened for the time-being."

"Say what? You mean we'll have to face him again?"

"Unfortunately, yes, since he seeks the One Bomb."

"Then we should look for it before he does."

"That is exactly what I plan to do. But in the meantime, I must stop the Robot Army that Gray Mann has unleashed who must be getting close to Thunder Mountain by now."

"The same place you sent those Engineers?"

"And Bobbie," Gerald reminded. "If he and the Engineers somehow managed to destroy the Giant Robot, that means one less enemy to deal with. But they'll have to contend with the forces of Jarrah, who no doubt wants his share of Thunder Mountain's treasure, and possibly the people of Teufort assuming their homes were destroyed by Pyro a part from the Robots."

"How do you know that?"

"While I was tied to the rocket, I saw smoke coming from the North last night."

"Seems like a pretty good indication. Well, I'd better bring our two-faced friend back to his senses and then get back to Mountain Lab. If you need my help again, don't hesitate to send a dove my way."

Gerald nodded, and descended into the skies on his Wings of Purity.

To be continued…


	24. Chapter 24: Ruins of Swiftwater

Chapter 24: Ruins of Swiftwater

While the people of Teufort and their Sniper allies were marching toward Swiftwater, Bobbie and the Engineers were busy navigating the ruins of Thunder Mountain until they came to the storage room where Pyro once rested. Seeing all the Australium Gold, the Engineers were enchanted while Theron seemed to be occupied by something.

"Well, I did promise you a share of the profit," Theron said, putting a hand on Bobbie's shoulder. "However, there is only one thing that I want which no one can have but me."

"And what's that?" Bobbie asked.

"The Saxxystone," Theron replied. "It's a small statue made of gold made in the shape of Saxton Hale. Hard to miss."

Then with that, Theron started to scan the mounds of gold while the Engineers followed. As for Bobbie, he glanced at his backpack where the gold statue he picked up earlier was resting in.

 _Maybe I should give it to Theron_ , Bobbie contemplated as he took off the pack.

"Bobbie!" cried Gage. "Get over here!"

"Uh, coming!" Bobbie said, putting the pack back on.

Near the back of the storage room were crates full of weapons and armor. While the Engineers put the Iron Lung chest plates and Trencher's Topper helmets on themselves, Bobbie decided to sport a Courtly Cuirass which consisted of metal plates along his shoulders and Squire's Sabatons which were shiny metal boots. As for Theron, he was now wearing a pair of Support Spurs boots, an Iron Lung breastplate made of Australium Gold, and a gold Clockwerk's Helm.

"Whoa," Brian said, looking at Theron. "You look…amazing."

"I thought so myself," Theron said proudly. "Now let's get out of here before that walking tin can comes back."

"Wouldn't Pyro have come back already?" Bobbie pointed out. "It's mid-morning."

"True, but he was pretty slow last night," Daran said. "Nevertheless, we should access the damage Pyro has done and come up with a strategy to take him down."

Theron nodded in response and left the storage room with Bobbie and the Engineers following. Once outside, they went back to the iron bridge and followed it down a declining slope till they came to a small stream which led into a series of burned down houses and toppled power lines. A few metal buildings were still intact, but they were charred and barely standing.

"What is this place?" Bobbie wondered out loud.

"Swiftwater," Brian answered. "It was once a thriving community of Mercenaries from across the country, and now it's a ghost town."

"All thanks to Pyro," Theron said bitterly.

Brian shook his head. "If only your grandpa hadn't activated the darn thing in the first place."

Hearing that, Theron glared at Brian. "What'd you say?"

"Oh, nothing," Brian lied.

Grumbling, Theron looked up at the sky and saw a Compatriot and an Ein bird flying toward him. While the Compatriot was fairly young, the Ein was much older by comparison.

"That looks like the same Compatriot bird we saw nesting on the water tower," Bobbie said. "I'm glad it survived Pyro's rampage."

While the Compatriot squawked and landed on a worn metal fence, the Ein landed on Theron's shoulder and moved close to his ear.

"Say what?" Theron responded. "Pyro's dead?"

The Ein bird nodded.

"And the whole town of Teufort was destroyed? Wait, they're coming here? With an escort of Badlands Snipers?"

Once again, the Ein bird nodded several times.

"Well, shoot," Theron sighed. "Guess those spineless cowards want their share of the treasure, though they willingly gave it to my grandfather so it's technically mine."

"But maybe if you give them that Croc necklace thing their leader was talking about, they'll go away," Bobbie suggested.

"Were you listening in on my conversation with Jarrah back in Badlands?" Theron asked, giving Bobbie an incredulous look.

"Yeah, I was using the InvisWatch," Bobbie said.

"Then why didn't you assassinate Jarrah when you had the chance?"

"I'm not the type to kill people unless I have to."

"Ugh! Let's get back to the Base, boys. We're gonna need to prepare ourselves for the company we'll be receiving later."

Obediently, the Engineers followed Theron back to the railroad tracks that led up to the bridge with Brian and Bobbie taking up the rear.

"I don't get it," Bobbie muttered. "Theron's been acting like a real jerk since we got here, and I'm not sure why."

"It's the Merc's Weakness," Brian explained. "The gold in that room has made Theron lose his mind and only consider its preservation rather than concern himself with the lives of others."

"But what about the Snipers? Are they also affected by Merc's Weakness?"

"To a degree, but they're only concerned with taking back what's rightfully theirs."

"Which is the necklace," When Brian nodded, Bobbie then said, "So what can we do?"

"Only hope that Theron'll come to his senses before things turn ugly for all parties involved, including the people of Teufort."

"Gosh, you're right. Those guys probably aren't happy with us right now."

"Indeed, and though their anger is understandable they must understand that it wasn't our intention to unleash the Giant Robot on them to begin with."

"True, but if Theron's getting greedy—

"Then we might have a full-blown war on our hands."

###

Back at Thunder Mountain, Theron decided to send a message to his cousin Dale who lived in Snowycoast which was several miles away. In the meantime, the rest of the Engineers busied themselves with constructing a wall along the northern edge of Swiftwater that blocked the railroad. They even managed to built a sturdy platform along the top of the wall where the Engineers could post themselves and see further down the valley. Three days later, Brian spotted several figures coming into Swiftwater and when Neylan got a better look he realized it was the rest of their company. After throwing down some ropes, the two groups were able to meet and reunite.

"So glad to see you're all alive," Theron said. "We're gonna need all the men we need to defend our territory."

"Against what?" Baize asked while Braze was profusely hugging him.

"The Badlands Snipers," Daran stated. "They're following the people of Teufort to here, presumably to steal our treasure."

"That's what we wanted to talk to you about," Kinley said, though he staggered forcing his brother Finley to help him stand. "The folks at Teufort desperately need our help, so if we could provide them with shelter and—

"We don't have those!" Theron snapped. "All we've got is a storage room full of gold, a couple of tunnels, and that's it."

"But if you guys were able to build this wall in a few days, surely we could construct some houses in the same amount of time," Finley argued.

"I'll consider it as an option," Theron responded. "But let's wait for them to get here before we do anything else."

As Theron walked away, the other Engineers followed him while Bobbie lagged behind.

To be continued…


	25. Chapter 25: A Theft in the Night

Chapter 25: A Theft in the Night

That evening, Bobbie and the Engineers spotted several fires down the valley. Figuring it was the people of Teufort and the Badlands Snipers, they decided to take turns keeping watch. Then when morning came, men wielding shotguns and Snipers with bows approached the makeshift wall in a steady but determined fashion.

"Halt!" Theron ordered, with his arms folded. "This is private property."

"Who says so?" Brent asked, standing in front of the crowd.

"I do,'" Theron said firmly. "You may call me Theron, and I'm the new Chief of Thunder Mountain!"

"Oh, glad to see you're still alive." Brent cleared his throat and said, "In case you haven't heard, the Giant Robot known as Pyro is dead and I was the one who took him down. Unfortunately, the city of Teufort got destroyed and many people died including the Mayor. As a result, I have assumed the Mayor's position until a better candidate can be found. We have come here to find a new home, so if you can provide us with food and shelter for the time-being—

"No can do," Theron answered abruptly. "We barely have enough to feed ourselves, and there's not enough housing for all of you."

"Then can you at least spare a portion of your gold so we may have the funds to rebuilt Swiftwater into a decent community?"

"Only if you swear allegiance to me."

Brent's eyebrow raised. "Why should we have to do that?"

"Because I'm not willing to give my gold to just anybody, especially angry mobs and squatters who didn't treat my brethren with respect not too long ago."

"But I did! If it weren't for me, you'd be rotting in a Teufort jail-cell or starving to death in the barren valley known as the Desolation of Pyro!"

"And for that, I am grateful but this is of a different matter. Either tell your Sniper friends to leave and agree to serve as my representative, or get out!"

Clenching his fist, Brent responded, "We'll continue this discussion tomorrow."

###

The following day, only Brent came to the wall. Neylan was about to fire a warning shot with his Pistol, but Theron stayed his hand.

"I wish to speak to you privately," Brent said, addressing Theron. "It is about your proposal."

Theron thought for a moment, and then he signaled Brent to follow him. The two came to a hidden opening in the wall where Theron's masked face stared blankly at Brent's.

After a brief sigh, Brent said, "The people of Teufort wish that you reconsider helping us, either with food or shelter. But at the very least, they would like one-twelfth of the gold to be distributed equally among them."

"Does this include the Badlands Snipers?" Theron asked.

"No, but their leader would like the Crocodile Smile necklace back."

"Well, I'm currently looking for something precious myself so that'll have to wait."

"What could be more important than helping a group of starving people and giving the Snipers their relic?"

"Ever heard of the Saxxystone?"

"Yes, you told me about it."

"Since I reclaimed Thunder Mountain, I haven't been able to find the Saxxystone. Until it's found, this title of mine is meaningless."

"Forget titles! Can you see this as one man doing a favor for another?"

"But we're not men. We kill for money, or die preserving it. That's what a Mercenary does, Brent, or have you forgotten?"

"We don't live in a world where Mercenaries thrive anymore, Theron. Now get your head out of the past and look toward the future!"

"I am, and all that's on my mind is keeping what I own."

"So the gold is more important than the people?"

"Yeah, if you wanna put it that way."

"Then you're not going to consider my offer?"

In response, Theron shook his head.

"Fine," Brent said as he turned his back to Theron. "The gold is yours to keep. I hope you choke on it!"

As Brent walked away, Theron closed the hidden opening.

###

A few days later, Theron received a message from Dale via Ein bird that his troop of Engineers were two days away from Swiftwater. Hearing that, Bobbie decided it was time to enact the plan he was forming in his head. So that night when he and Braze were on guard-duty, Bobbie watched the distant fires as a chilly winter wind blew.

"Whew!" Braze shivered. "It's really cold tonight."

"The tunnel is warmer if you'd rather go in there for now," Bobbie offered.

"Really?" Braze looked toward the tracks which led to the tunnel and nodded. "Then maybe I'll take you up that offer. If something happens, don't hesitate to holler. Otherwise, wake me up at midnight when it's time to switch."

"Will do!"

Bobbie waited for Braze to be gone before he jumped off the wall and dashed toward the tents.

Once there, Bobbie turned on the InvisWatch and approached a large tent where three distinct voices were coming from.

"He won't listen to me," one voice complained. "I'm not sure if talking to him again will work."

"Then do you suggest we go to war?" another voice said solemnly.

"No, fighting is _not_ the answer," responded a third voice, who sounded familiar. "We have much bigger problems at hand, and this issue must be resolved as quickly as possible."

Curious, Bobbie sneaked around the tent till he found an entrance. Inside, he found Brent and Jarrah huddling close to a central fire while a tall figure clung to the shadows.

"Gerald?" Bobbie said in surprise.

The three men looked in Bobbie's direction, causing him to deactivate the InvisWatch and hide it behind his back.

"Sweet Land of Liberty!" Brent exclaimed. "How did you get here without being detected?"

"I ran really fast," Bobbie lied as he slipped the InvisWatch into his back pocket. "Now I don't have a lot of time on my hands as I promised to wake up Braze at midnight. We're in charge of guarding the wall, you see, so I'll make this meeting brief."

"Why don't you start by telling us why you're here?" Jarrah said, eyeing Bobbie suspiciously.

"To offer a solution to your predicament," Bobbie said honestly. "You obviously don't want to fight Theron, but he refuses your demands because he's more concerned about his precious gold than anything else. But with winter coming and a group of Engineers from Snowycoast arriving in two days to aid Theron, I'm inclined to—

"Who's leading the Snowycoast Engineers?" Jarrah interrupted.

"Theron's cousin Dale."

"The Alien Wrangler?" Brent's face looked grim. "Aren't you betraying your friends by telling us these things?"

"I'm only trying to prevent things from getting worse for both sides, and this might help you reason with Theron."

From his backpack, Bobbie pulled out the Saxxystone which glimmered in the faint glow of the fire and gave it to Brent. He stared at the thing for a few seconds before looking down at Bobbie. "Is this the—

"Yep," Bobbie affirmed. "I was originally going to consider it my share of the gold, but it's too valuable to keep for my own good. Hopefully, it'll be better used in your hands."

"It's not easy for a Mercenary to part with one's earnings, whether ill-gotten or not," Jarrah stated. "For that, I commend what you've done but I'm not sure if going back to your friends would be safe."

"Why's that?" Bobbie wondered.

"If they find out about this meeting, they'll certainly brand you as a traitor," Jarrah explained. "It might be safer to stay with us instead."

Taken aback by Jarrah's sudden kindness, Bobbie lowered his head. "I appreciate the offer, Jarrah, but I'm a man of my word. My friends mean a lot to me, and it would be reckless to abandon them now."

"Very well, then," Gerald said approvingly as he stepped forth from the shadows. "Get back to the others quick, and be prepared for what's to come."

Confused, Bobbie was tempted to stay and talk to Gerald but knew he had to keep his promise to Braze. So in a split second, Bobbie dashed out of the tent and ran across the ruins of Swiftwater toward the impending wall.

To be continued…


	26. Chapter 26: Ianson

Chapter 26: Ianson

That morning, Brent came to the wall once more followed by Gerald who wore a hood to cover his face and a company of Snipers and Mercenaries from Teufort. Theron saw them coming and held up a Pistol he found among the weapons stored in the gold room. He aimed at the ground and fired. The bullet missed Brent's foot by an inch, causing him and the others to stop in their tracks.

"Take another step, and your head will be next," Theron said, pointing the Pistol at Brent.

Keeping his cool, Brent stated, "We have something that might interest you and we'd be willing to trade it for one-twelfth of your gold."

Theron made a sharp laugh. "Nice try, Brent, but you're not fooling me!"

"Oh, yeah?" Brent reached into his jacket pocket and held up the Saxxystone. "Then take a look at this!"

Seeing the Saxxystone for the first time, Theron's jaw dropped. "Where did you get that?"

Hesitantly, Brent answered, "From someone who cares about you a great deal."

Gritting his teeth, Theron looked at his fellow Engineers who were all just as shocked as he was. The only one who wasn't was Bobbie.

"String-bean!" Theron snapped. "How could you betray me like this?"

"I was only trying to help," Bobbie said earnestly.

"How long has the Saxxystone been in your possession?"

"Since I first encountered Pyro. I didn't know it was the Saxxystone at the time, and was going to tell you but it slipped my mind."

"Liar! You were hoping to keep the Saxxystone for yourself, but then decided to sell it to the enemy at the last minute!"

"No, that's not what I meant to do!"

Just as Theron reached for his Pistol, Gerald unveiled his hood.

"If you are unhappy with the Scout I recommended, then let him go," Gerald said, holding his hand up. "But do not harm him under any circumstances."

"Ugh!" Theron grumbled as he let go of his Pistol. Then he pointed an accusing finger at Bobbie. "You heard sawbones, now get going before I change my mind!"

Without saying anything further, Bobbie leaped down from the wall and joined Gerald.

"As a bonus, I'll give you the Scout's one-fourteenth share of the gold," Theron stated. "That should be satisfactory, right?"

"Not in the slightest, but we'll take it anyway to avoid further conflict," Brent responded, and pocketed the Saxxystone. "Until then, the Saxxystone stays with us."

With that, Brent and his company left with Theron shouting angry curses behind them.

###

Later, Antoine was sent to collect the gold Theron promised but the Spy came back to camp with several bullet wounds in his chest.

"This is clearly an act of war!" Brent muttered angrily as Antoine was being healed by Gerald. "Those fools will pay for what they've done!"

"It's not the Engineer's fault," Bobbie assured. "Theron's the one to be blamed. Brian told me that he's been overcome by something called Merc's Weakness and—

"I know what Merc's Weakness is," Brent replied. "But that doesn't give Theron the right to harm our men if things don't go his way!"

"Agreed," Jarrah concurred. "If Theron's not going to hand over the gold himself, then we have no choice but to take it from him by force."

" _Nein_ (No)!" Gerald said after he finished healing Antoine. "We shouldn't have to resort to fighting, especially when—

"Enough, Medic!" Brent snapped. "My mind is made up!"

Then Brent stormed into the tent with Jarrah behind him.

"What should we do, Gerald?" Bobbie asked.

"Nothing at the moment," Gerald said as he shook his head. "I had hoped Theron and Brent would become strong allies, but it seems I was foolish to think so. But perhaps things will change tomorrow."

###

Before dawn, Jarrah received reports from his Snipers that a large group of Engineers were spotted approaching Thunder Mountain wearing heavy winter jackets and Pip Boy braces. Realizing it was Dale's men, Jarrah woke Brent up and the two began to assemble their respective armies of Snipers Soldiers and Heavies alike. Then when Brent went to see Antoine, he found an empty bed and a note saying:

 _Dear Mayor,_

 _I refuse to have any part in this war. So I'm leaving for good and have taken a few provisions for the journey ahead._

 _Signed,_

 _Antoine Lécher la Salive_

 _P. S. See you in Hell!_

"Damn crouton!" Brent said as he tore up the note. "I should've told Jarrah that _you_ murdered the Mayor by letting him die instead of sparing your life like an ignorant fool!"

Leaving the empty tent, Brent met up with Jarrah and explained the situation.

"There's nothing you can do about it now, mate," Jarrah said putting a hand on Brent's shoulder. "Now let's confront Theron before Dale's forces arrive."

"Right," Brent nodded and put on the Teufort Knight helmet that was given to him by Jarrah. It was apparently worn by his grandfather many years ago, and its musty smell proved that.

With his Shotgun in one hand and a good Shovel in the other, Brent marched forward with his fellow Heavies and Soldiers while Jarrah brought up the rear with his Snipers. Just as they approached the wall, a group of Engineers were assembling Sentries and Dispensers when they noticed the oncoming army of Mercenaries and men. Immediately, they stopped building and pulled out their Wrenches and Pistols. While some stayed behind, others came out of the wall through hidden entrances and charged forward while the Mercenaries and men did the same. But before Shovels and Wrenches could clash or bullets and arrows were fired, Gerald shot a bolt of lightning down from the air where he was suspended by his Wings of Purity.

"Please stop!" Gerald shouted as he landed between the two sides. "This fight is meaningless when an army of Robots from the South are approaching us swiftly! They've taken Gravel Pit and are using it as a Base of operations now! If you don't believe me, look southward and notice the flock of Drones that are coming here. They are being controlled by the Cyborgs, who've decided to join their Robot brethren in order to get revenge on Theron's company for escaping their grasp! If you'll come to your senses and strategize a plan to destroy the Robots and Cyborgs together, then follow me. Otherwise, go back to Thunder Mountain and fortify it for the oncoming Waves."

"What makes you so sure the Robots will attack Thunder Mountain?" said an Engineer who wore a Final Frontier Freighter get-up that consisted of a cardboard space shuttle wrapped around his waist that was supported by suspenders and on his head was an aviator's cap.

"Because their leader, Alclad the Destroyer, has a personal vendetta against your cousin," Gerald answered solemnly.

Surprised, the Engineer with the aviator cap gasped. "Aw, hell! I should warn Theron!"

"It wouldn't hurt, Dale Ianson, but I doubt he'll be willing to join us," Gerald said as Dale told an Engineer to head back to Thunder Mountain.

After that, the two sides reluctantly followed Gerald back to camp.

To be continued…


	27. Chapter 27: Battle for the Base

Chapter 27: Battle for the Base

As the cloud of Drones grew thicker outside Gerald was monitoring a meeting between Brent, Jarrah, and Dale. They were all tensely looking at a map of the Thunder Mountains and attempting to figure out how to best counter the Robot and Cyborg armies that were coming northward. Meanwhile, the Engineer that Dale sent had reached Thunder Mountain but once his message was delivered he was immediately dismissed by Theron who ordered the Engineers that didn't leave the wall to finish building the Sentries and Dispensers. As they were doing that, Finley and Kinley spotted a large gray mass that was moving northward.

"It's the Robots!" Finley realized. "We've got to tell the men of Teufort!"

"Don't bother," Kinley said. "They've probably got Snipers watching the valley, so they'll know soon enough."

"Well, we should at least tell Theron."

"Go do that. I'll stay here and keep watching."

"Okay."

While Finley went down to the tunnel, Kinley looked up the mountain slope thinking about Tallara and whether he would ever see her again.

###

At Gravel Pit, Tallara and Matthias were watching swarms of Robots preparing to march over the mountains toward Swiftwater.

"This doesn't look good," Tallara muttered from behind a boulder. "Where's Sir Hootsalot?"

"Right here," Matthias said, revealing the small owl nestling in the folds of his vest.

"Tell him to send a message to Jarrah," Tallara responded. "He needs to know that Alclad's army is on the move."

Without saying a word, Matthias said something to the owl which hooted in response and flew off. A few hours later, when the Robots had completely emptied out of the Base, Sir Hootsalot returned. He perched on Matthias' shoulder and made several noises.

"What did he say?" Tallara asked, noticing Matthias frowning.

"They're losing badly," Matthias answered. "Though a majority of the Robots were taken down by arrows and gunfire, they were quickly replaced by reinforcements and the Cyborg-controlled Drones are proving to be difficult targets to shoot."

"Crikey!" Tallara exclaimed. "What about the Engineers or the men of Teufort?"

"They've managed to put up a good fight, but even they are having a hard time keeping up with the continuous Waves of Robots."

"Something's got to be done, and I'll bet Gravel Pit has something that'll help us."

"Are you crazy? Just because it looks empty doesn't mean it is."

"I know that, but we can't just sit idly by while members of our Class are getting slaughtered."

Before Matthias could stop her, Tallara made her way down the ledge where the boulder was located. Then after some hesitation, Matthias followed.

###

At Thunder Mountain, Theron was trying to block out the distant sounds of clanking metal and gunfire by circling around the mounds of gold. But each time he did, a reflection of himself stared back and it made him cringe.

" _Wht's thmatr, Thron?_ (What's the matter, Theron?)" Said an apparition of Pyro that appeared above Theron. " _Isn this wat u've always wnted? Havin the entire Bse to urself with pls of gold to admir an nothn else?_ (Isn't this what you've always wanted? Having the entire Base to yourself with piles of gold to admire and nothing else?)"

"Shut up, Pyro!" Theron snapped. "You're not even real, so leave me alone!"

" _But Imthe only frend u've got. That Scot betrayed u, an so did the Medic_ (But I'm the only friend you've got. That Scout betrayed you, and so did the Medic)."

"That may be true, but I don't need friends! Especially the kind I don't like."

" _Fin, then Ill lev u to admr thgold som mor. Hve fun do inn that fr an etrnty ana half!_ (Fine, then I'll leave you to admire the gold some more. Have fun doing that for an eternity and a half!)"

Then as Pyro's apparition vanished, Theron looked at the mound of gold before him and punched it. The gold pieces crumbled and Theron's hand hurt afterward. While nursing it, Theron looked around and saw nothing but small reflections of himself.

"Stop looking at me!" Theron cried and ran from the storage room.

Outside, Theron breathed heavily and heard the sounds of battle more clearly. Then he found himself walking toward the iron bridge and up onto the top of the tunnel. From there, Theron saw Waves of Robots bombarding the resisting lines of Mercenaries and men whose numbers were faltering. While this was going on, the wall was perfectly stable with Sentries and Dispensers mounted on top.

"Dagnabbit!" Theron said as he removed the Clockwerk's Helm from his head. "This losin' streak ends now!"

###

Brent was being cornered by several Robot Heavies which he fought off to the best of his ability. But they blocked his Shovel expertly and knocked him to the ground with their fists. He felt sure this was the end when a loud 'Yee-haw!' caught his attention. He looked toward the wall and saw several Engineers charge forth from it and at their helm was none other than Theron himself.

"Pony up, boys!" Theron shouted to the others. "Those tin cans ain't gonna beat themselves!"

"Tch!" Brent murmured. "Amen!"

Hearing that, the Robot Heavies turned their attention back to Brent who screamed at the top of his lungs and knocked their heads off with one swing of his shovel.

From there, the tide of battle seemed to change as the Mercenaries started pushing the Robots back forcing them to retreat.

"Where in Sam Hill are they going?" Theron wondered out loud.

"To Gravel Pit," Dale said, appearing behind Theron. "That's where they're coming from."

"Then I'm sure Alclad's there too," Theron concluded. "Finley, Kinley, you're with me. We've got a score to settle!"

"Alrighty then!" Finley said enthusiastically.

"Let's do this Texas Style!" Kinley replied, and held up a Wrangler.

Aiming it at a nearby Drone, Kinley forced the flying contraption to come down and hover a few feet off the ground. This allowed Kinley to mount the Drone and then it started to fly upwards. Following Kinley's example, Finley and Theron beat up a couple of Cyborgs for their Wranglers which they took for themselves and used them to ride Drones of their own.

To be continued…


	28. Chapter 28: Gravel Pit

Chapter 28: Gravel Pit

Riding the Drones, Theron Finley and Kinley were able to reach Gravel Pit just as a group of Robots led by Alclad approached the Base. There were several Robot corpses scattered about and when Finley looked toward a smokestack that spewed fire he saw Tallara fighting against Bolt on a railing which Matthias was barely holding onto.

"Looks like yer girlfriend's in trouble," Finley said teasingly.

Kinley flinched. "She's not—

"What d'you say?" Theron asked.

"Nothin'!" Kinley insisted.

"My brother's got a crush on that female Sniper over there," Finley answered, pointing toward the smokestack.

But when Theron looked, he noticed the giant laser that was mounted on top of a building that lay between him and the smokestack with a familiar Robot heading toward it.

"Keep me covered, boys," Theron ordered. "I'm going after Alclad."

Then as he flew toward the laser, Finley and Kinley followed. They commanded the Drones to take out the other Robots that were following Alclad into the building, and others that were coming. But a piercing scream suddenly cut through the air, causing Kinley to look in the direction of the smokestack. What he saw made him grit his teeth and fly past the laser.

"Aw, shucks," Finley murmured as he followed Kinley. "Why are you bothering to save her when she barely knows you?"

"Because…I gotta do something," Kinley said, and flew further away.

###

At the smokestack, Tallara was holding her right arm which had been dislocated by Bolt when he pinned her down.

" _Ya got anything smart to say now?_ " Bolt taunted as he prepared to swing his Bat. " _If not, then I might as well take a few swings at your head._ "

"Not today, trashcan!" Kinley hollered as he leaped off his Drone and knocked Bolt's head down with a Wrench.

A little ways back, Finley landed his Drone and helped Matthias get back onto the railing. Instead of thanking him, Matthias attended to Tallara who was struggling to stand.

"Are you okay?" Matthias said as held Tallara up.

"I'm fine," Tallara said as she moved her limp arm around. "Just give me a moment."

"That arm looks bad," Finley noted. "Maybe you oughta have Doc Gerald take a look at it."

"I don't need a Medic," Tallara cringed as she snapped her arm back into place.

While flexing her fingers, Tallara noticed Kinley pounding Bolt's face while Bolt clumsily attempted to swing his Bat.

Meanwhile, Finley blinked in surprise. "How did she—

"Being a pupil of Jarrah's, she not only learned Aborigines medicine but also ways to fix herself if need be," Matthias explained.

"Oh," Finley replied as he continued to watch his brother beat the Robot Scout senseless.

When it seemed like Bolt had enough, he used the handle of his Bat to hit Kinley's helmet really hard causing Kinley to become disoriented. While this was happening, Bolt swung the Bat again and knocked the young Engineer's head into the side of the smokestack. Blood and skin splattered against brick, and not a sound escaped from Kinley's mouth as Bolt retracted the Bat.

" _Way to go, hardhat!_ " Bolt said as he struck Kinley's head a second time. " _Guess that helmet's not as durable as it looks._ "

"You monster!" Finley yelled, taking out his own Wrench. "I'm gonna lay you out!"

" _Give it your best shot, tough guy!_ " Bolt swung his Bat at Finley, whose Wrench was knocked right out of his hands. " _But you'll never be as fast as me!_ "

While Bolt started beating Finley up, Tallara looked at Kinley's body and saw his hand twitch. She immediately ran over to him while Matthias prepared to fire an arrow.

"Kinley?" Tallara said as she gingerly removed him from the wall of the smokestack.

"Are-Are you…an angel?" Kinley muttered through bleeding lips. "Is this…death?"

"Stop talking. You'll die sooner that way."

"B-But at least…I got to see your face…one last time."

"Don't go! Your mother will weep if you're gone!"

"She doesn't know…where I am. I'm sure she's…in a better place."

There was a _gasp_ and Kinley became limp in Tallara's arms. She felt tears roll down her cheeks as Matthias fired an arrow into Bolt's head. He cried out in pain and stumbled over the edge of the railing. But at the last minute, Bolt grabbed Finley and the two fell several feet till their bodies impacted the ground below. Matthias looked downward but he immediately turned away.

"They're dead, aren't they?" Tallara guessed, looking up at Matthias' grim face.

"Very," Matthias said bluntly.

A slight hiccup escaped Tallara's mouth. "It's funny. I thought I would be prepared for a real battle when it happened. But now…I'm just wishing it'll end soon."

"Same," Matthias agreed.

###

At the giant laser, Alclad was about to start typing coordinates into the computer when Theron came down from a Drone with the Southern Hospitality Wrench in his hand.

" _I would've preferred to meet you on the battlefield, but beggars can't be choosers,_ " Alclad said as he unsheathed a Shovel with a big 'D' carved on the handle. " _You're obviously in a big fat hurry to die, so let's get this over with._ "

"Couldn't have said it better," Theron responded. "Now let's finish what we've started!"

The two ran at each other with their weapons raised and they managed to parry one another perfectly. This continued for several more blows until Theron was right in front of the computer with Alclad blocking his way. So he swung past the hulking Robot Soldier and managed to smash the computer's keyboard which sent sparks flying everywhere.

" _I will eat your ribs!_ " Alclad cried as he smacked Theron to the ground with his Shovel. " _I'll eat them all!_ "

Then as Alclad was about to impale Theron's throat, Theron impaled Alclad's chest which caused him to drop the Shovel. It pierced right through Theron's stomach causing him to cringe while Alclad struggled to removed the Southern Hospitality Wrench. He accidentally tripped and stumbled into the computer which electrocuted him and caused his circuits to fry. This caused the laser to briefly light up and then die down as the whole thing exploded, destroying the building underneath along with all the surrounding ones. The only structure that withstood the blast was the smokestack, which Tallara and Matthias hid behind while Finley and Kinley's bodies were incinerated.

To be continued…


	29. Chapter 29: The Return Trip Home

Chapter 29: The Return Trip Home

While the battles at Swiftwater and Gravel Pit were going on, Bobbie had decided to slip into the mountains. He had planned to wait till the fighting was over when a group of Robots suddenly marched past him on their way toward Swiftwater. Worried about his friends, Bobbie turned on the InvisWatch and made a series of battle cries to get the Robots' attention. Hearing it, they moved toward the source of the screams and found themselves falling off a cliff that was hidden by a thick foliage of trees. Those who didn't fall initially were stabbed by Bobbie and thrown into the valley below. Satisfied with his victory, the Scout started to run back to Thunder Mountain when he tripped on a loose rock that was sticking out of the ground. This caused him to tumble down the slope and hit the side of a boulder which knocked Bobbie out cold.

###

"Bobbie! Bobbie Billows!"

Bobbie's eyes opened. He saw Gerald standing over him and then felt a sudden pain on his forehead. "Ow, why does my head hurt?"

"You experienced a brief concussion after landing into a boulder near Thunder Mountain," Gerald explained. "Luckily, I was able to heal your head before it got worse."

"Thanks, Doc," Bobbie said gratefully. "How long have I been out?"

"Almost a day, I'm afraid."

"Is the battle over? Did we win?"

" _Ja_ (Yes), but at a great cost."

"What do you mean?"

"There were several casualties on both the men, Engineer, and Sniper sides."

"Including my friends?"

"Only two of them died, but the third is barely alive."

"Can't you just heal them with your magic, or that Med-gun thingie?"

"My Medi Gun only heals fatal wounds if I'm nearby. As for my magic, it slowly drains my life-force with each use so the more times it's used—

"The closer you come to death," Bobbie finished.

"Exactly, and because there were no other Medics I couldn't get to everyone on time."

"Didn't Rüdiger help, though?"

"Sort of, but his other half kept trying to kill the patients so I had to keep restraining him."

"Sounds like a pain. But tell me…which of the Engineers died?"

"Finley and Kinley."

Bobbie's heart sank. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"They were fighting against Bolt, the Robot Scout who was with Alclad when we first met him, near the top of a smokestack in Gravel Pit. He killed Kinley with a Bat, and was hit by an arrow fired by Matthias, a Badlands Sniper, but Bolt grabbed Finley and they fell off the smokestack together. Then an explosion happened, which wiped out the entire Gravel Pit Base and—"

"That's enough! I get the picture." Bobbie took a deep breath and then said, "Who's the third one? Is it Theron?"

Reluctantly, Gerald nodded. "He decided to take on Alclad himself, and they fatally injured one another. The explosion that followed significantly wounded Theron further, and now he doesn't have long to live."

"Can I see him?"

Picking him up, Gerald carried the weary Scout from one tent into another where the Engineers were gathered around a heavily bandaged individual with black lensed glasses shining through. Seeing Theron in this state made Bobbie's throat tighten as Gerald set him down.

"Hey," Bobbie said nervously as he walked steadily toward the bed. "It's me."

Slowly, Theron's bandaged face looked toward Bobbie and sighed. "Bobbie…where the hell have you been?"

"Hiding, mostly, but I did stop a group of Robots that were coming through the mountains," Bobbie admitted.

"That's good," Theron said as he broke out into a series of painful coughs. "Listen, I…didn't mean all those things I said."

"Yeah, I figured. You were just concerned with protecting what was yours."

"True, but I realized friends…are more important…than…gold…"

Then as Theron sighed and started to breathe more slowly, Bobbie was about to say something when Gerald put a hand on his shoulder.

"Let him rest now," Gerald said firmly.

###

That night, Theron died in his sleep causing Gerald to alert everyone including Bobbie. Naturally, they were heartbroken about it and especially Dale though he shed no tears. That morning, a funeral was held for the men who died on the battlefield including the Mercenaries. They were all buried in a makeshift cemetery near the wall which Dale ordered to be torn down. As the only known relative of Theron's, Dale had decided to become the next Chief of Thunder Mountain if only to fix his cousin's past mistakes. He not only distributed a significant portion of the Australium Gold to the people of Teufort, but also aided them in rebuilding Swiftwater. While these efforts were going on, Bobbie made preparations for the return trip to Harvest.

"Do you really have to go, Bobbie?" Braze asked. "Why not stay with us and help rebuild Thunder Mountain? Or Swiftwater if you'd like."

"That wasn't part of my contract," Bobbie insisted as he walked over to Dale who was talking to some men who were rebuilding the walls of the former BLU building. "I was hired to help you guys reclaim Thunder Mountain, and that's what I did. So as far as I'm concerned, my work here is done."

"Get going!" Dale shouted. "We've gotta get these houses built before the first winter storms start comin' in!"

Cautiously, Bobbie approached Dale and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Oh, it's you," Dale said. "Something you'd like to talk to me about?"

"Um, regarding the portion of gold Theron promised me—

"We're getting that taken care of."

"Well, the thing is…could I change the amount?"

Dale and Braze's eyes widened.

"How much do you want?" Dale wondered.

"Just enough to fill two briefcases, and I'd also like to keep the armor I wore."

"That's it?" Braze was shocked. "When you could have one-fourteenth of all the gold in Thunder Mountain?"

"I don't need that much," Bobbie explained. "Plus it'll be easier to carry on the way home."

"Then it shall be done," Dale said as he put his hands on Bobbie's shoulders. "If only my cousin had realized how humble you were, then—

"There's no need to dwell on the past," Bobbie interrupted. "As Brent said, we should look toward the future and focus on that."

After a brief pause, Dale nodded. "You're right."

Unable to say anything, Braze watched Bobbie head back to his tent to finish packing while Dale turned his attention to the construction workers once more.

To be continued…


	30. Chapter 30: Here and There

**Last chapter, guys! Thank you so much for supporting this fanfic and be sure to check out some others I wrote including** ** _Lord of the Bombs_** **, which is a TF2 interpretation of the** ** _Lord of the Rings_** **movies!**

Chapter 30: Here and There

A couple days later, Bobbie met Gerald on the outskirts of Swiftwater where a camper van that had been sent by Jarrah was waiting. Standing near it were the remaining Engineers of Theron's company, Dale, and Brent.

"Gosh, I don't know what to say," Bobbie said as he addressed the Engineers. "We've been through a lot together these past couple of months, and I'll never forget you."

"Couldn't have said it better, kid," Braze said as he and the Engineers surrounded Bobbie in a big group hug.

While Dale and Brent watched, Gerald walked over to the van which was driven by Matthias.

"Hello again," Gerald said courteously. "How is the young lady?"

"She's with Jarrah," Matthias answered. "He's helping her cope with the death of that one Engineer whom she seemed to have feelings for."

"You mean Kinley?" Gerald asked.

Reluctantly, Matthias nodded.

"I thought so."

On the other side of the van, Bobbie had broken from the circle of Engineers and approached Dale and Brent.

"You guys are cool, right?" Bobbie asked cautiously.

Hearing that, the Engineer and the Soldier looked at one another.

"Heck yes!" Dale exclaimed.

"Affirmative!" Brent concurred. "We're still figuring things out, but his contributions to rebuilding Swiftwater are commendable."

"And the people of Teufort seem more willing to work alongside the Mercenaries," Dale said thoughtfully. "Not sure why, but it makes the workload much easier."

"Agreed." Brent then turned back to Bobbie and held his hand out. "May your homeward journey be safe, Bobbie Billows, Godspeed!"

"Thanks," Bobbie said shaking Brent's hand. "You sound more like a true leader now."

"Do I?" Brent looked down at himself and made a slight grin. "Guess I'm finally settling into my job as the new Mayor of Swiftwater."

As Bobbie parted ways with Brent, Dale said, "If there's anything I can do for you, don't hesitate to call!"

"Sure thing, Dale," Bobbie affirmed as he went to join Gerald at the van.

###

The ride to the Badlands was comfortably quiet, and then at the main Base Jarrah allowed Bobbie and Gerald to spend the night. However, Gerald didn't sleep very well and went outside to look at the stars which were very bright in the clean desert air. On a lone rock Matthias sat, and so Gerald decided to join him.

"Something bothering you, Matthias?" Gerald asked politely.

"You're the last person I want to speak to right now," Matthias grumbled. "If you had shown up sooner, those Engineers wouldn't have died."

"I'm not a miracle-worker," Gerald admitted. "We can't always be perfect."

Matthias scuffed. "That's what my old man said, right after telling me I should leave this place for a while."

"Did he say why?"

"He thinks it'll help Tallara overcome her grief quicker, and wants me to find my 'true purpose,'" Matthias sighed. "Whatever that means."

"He means there is a greater destiny in store for you, and I can help make that happen."

"How? You're just an old quack posing as a doctor."

Taken aback, Gerald responded, "I'll have you know that I've seen a lot of battles in my lifetime and saved many lives. Sure, I lost a few to the hands of death but we all make mistakes. That's what makes us human."

"Yeah, sure," Matthias stood up. "Perfection is everything to me, and I thought Tallara could—

"Reciprocate _your_ feelings?" When Matthias looked surprised, Gerald said, "I can tell these things easily, but you won't get anywhere by dwelling on them. She was clearly in love with someone else, and you must accept that."

"I know that, Doc, but now she's all alone and I want to be there for her."

"You can help by doing what your father says."

"But she never liked it when I just obeyed him and didn't think for myself."

"Consider this an exception. Now, further north lies an Area called Yukon. A young Demoman resides there. He is called Cyclops by his peers but his real name is Aonghus, son of Aonghas."

Matthias' eyes widened. "The heir to Iomhar?"

" _Ja_ (Yes), and if you'll help me take him to Mountain Lab I'll see to it that you get a Life Extender Machine of your own."

This surprised Matthias further. "You'd do that? We barely know each other."

"That is true, but we'll be seeing each other more often in the days to come."

###

The next day, Jarrah saw Bobbie and Gerald off on the van. But before they left, Bobbie reached into his pocket and pulled out a string of white crocodile teeth.

"It's a miracle," Jarrah murmured as he took the necklace into his hands. "It's an Australian Christmas bloody miracle!"

"I just so happened to find it after Pyro was defeated," Bobbie explained. "It's my way of saying thanks for the apples in your storage."

Confused by Bobbie's words, Jarrah was dumbfounded as the van drove away.

From there, the journey went smoothly until they stopped at Granary. There, Bobbie went to the barn and buried one of the briefcases full of gold under some floorboards.

"You might want to keep the other briefcase, Bobbie," Gerald said.

"Why?" Bobbie asked, holding the other briefcase in his hand.

"Let's just say you might need it for something back home."

Unsure of what Gerald meant, Bobbie did as he said and kept the second briefcase.

###

Outside Harvest, Bobbie said goodbye to Gerald who drove the van back in the direction of the Badlands. With the armor equipped and the briefcase on his back, Bobbie went through the front gate and walked down the main street. Scouts that passed by gawked at him, but what intrigued Bobbie the most was a large crowd that was standing outside his home.

"What the hell's going on?" Bobbie demanded.

"We're in the middle of an auction here, pal," answered a Scout with white hair tied back in a ponytail. "Unless you're participating in it, then I suggest you leave."

"But this is my house," Bobbie stated.

The Scout's eyebrow raised. "You're not Mister Satchel-Billow."

"Huh?"

"According to my file, Billow End has been given over to the Satchel-Billows after its original owner, Bobbie Billows, went missing two months ago and never came back."

"Those lying sacks of compost!" Bobbie cursed. "I demand this auction to cease!"

"For what purpose?"

"Cuz I'm Bobbie Billows, and I didn't go missing."

"Then where have you been?"

"Away on a business trip, and I've got the prospects to prove that!"

Removing the briefcase, Bobbie took out a piece of Australium Gold and held it up. The crowd gasped, including the white-haired Scout.

"Holy crap!" exclaimed a Scout with 3D glasses on. "Where did you get that much money?"

"Maybe he stole it," said a female Scout with long red hair.

"No way, sister," Bobbie claimed. "This gold was given to me by the Chief of Thunder Mountain. Don't believe me, then talk to him."

"Maybe I will," the white-haired Scout retorted.

So the auction was cancelled and a series of legal battles ensued between Bobbie and the Satchel-Billows. As a result, Bobbie had to find another place to live at for the time-being. He had a gardener friend named Herman Gangrene, who was more than willing to let him stay along with his wife Beth and their children. The only one who wasn't happy was Steven, Herman's youngest son.

"It's not fair!" Steven complained. "Why should I have to give up my room? My bed's too small for him!"

"The boy has a point," Bobbie agreed. "So I'll sleep on the couch instead."

"Are you sure?" Herman said quizzically. "It gets awfully cold at night."

"Don't worry," Bobby assured. "I'll be fine."

###

A few weeks later, Bobbie was stricken by ammonia. This made Steven feel so bad that he not only gave up his room willingly but also helped his mom restore Bobbie's health. Though his older siblings teased him for it, Steven was encouraged by Bobbie who commended the boy for his kindness and selflessness. Then when winter turned to spring, Bobbie had successfully reclaimed his house thanks to Dale's written testimony and the gold he used to buy back the things that were sold at the auction.

It was also around this time that Bobbie started to contemplate the idea of heading back to Thunder Mountain to visit the Engineers and see how they were doing. Unfortunately, tragedy soon struck when Bobbie's sister and her husband died in a boating accident up near Snakewater leaving their son Freddie as the only survivor. Because the Satchel-Billows wanted nothing to do with the boy, Bobbie decided to take Freddie in and raise him as his own. At first, Freddie was shy around everyone and rarely went outside but when he met Steven for the first time they instantly liked one another.

"They seem to be doing great together," Herman remarked as he and Bobbie watched the two boys play in the backyard of Bobbie's home. "I bet their friendship is going to last a long time."

"Same," Bobbie agreed as he inhaled on his cigarette. "So have you talked to Steven about becoming my gardener once he's old enough?"

"Not yet, but I'm sure he'll be thrilled," Herman responded, breathing out smoke. "Gives him a good excuse to hang out with Freddie more."

"True." As Bobbie exhaled his smoke, he sighed. "I'm thinking about writing a book."

"About what?"

"My business trip…it was quite an adventure."

"How so?"

"It'd take too long to explain."

"I see."

"The working title I have in mind is 'Here and There: A Scout's Story.'"

"Sounds good."

The End


End file.
